Old Scars
by wordstomyears
Summary: The last padawan of Luke Skywalker's Jedi order has lived in hiding on the edges of the galaxy, away from the wraith of the First Order. Avry Fayar, a young Jedi is trying to recover from the betrayal of a boy who she used to love. When the Resistance finds her however, she is forced to leave her life of hiding for one that might her bring her face to face with her first love.
1. Out of the Shadows

_A field of flowers splashed with blood couldn't help but come to mind when looking upon the halls of a place that used to hold such prosperous hope. Bodies of children laid bloody and scattered, and the temple was silent other than the structure crumbling down above their bodies. It was a terrible sight, enough to break the heart of a Jedi master who coughed at the smoke that filled the structure._

 _There was a sudden shift in the room as a gasp of breath was heard. Luke whipped his head around, not expecting any of the younglings or padawans to be alive after what happened. The disturbance in the force was replaced with a small awakening of a young Padawan as her eyes went wide as she coughed from the smoke in the air._

 _"Luke..." She choked out, turning her head to the side. The sight of a child no older than five years old with blood dripping from their mouth was enough to earn a sob out of her. "No." She cried. "No!" The padawan turned her head, but was only met with the body of a friend, a mentor. What happened was rushing back, and hitting her with the force of a tsunami._

 _The man flinched as he recognized the voice. He moved over a couple of bodies just as a support beam fell in front of him, blocking his path. He heard distant beeping coming from the entrance. Luke looked back at the droid, and shook his head. "It's okay, R2. I can get her." He called over. Once the droid was assured, Luke didn't hesitate to use the force to lift the beam and move it out of his way._

 _The girl had pushed herself up, resting her weight on her palms. "Luke!" She yelled, tears rushing down her face. She was weak, and pain rippled throughout her entire body but she didn't know where the damage was from until she saw the blood. The padawan threw off her cloak, tearing off her robe so she could lift her undershirt to see the damage that the saber had done. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her flesh._

 _"Shh, it's okay." Luke tried to be soothing, as he moved to pick up the girl._ _She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Luke... is he still..." The girl was afraid to finish her sentence, and he could hardly blame her. He knew how she felt about him._

 _His blue eyes scanned over the remains of his temple, and he could sense that the Knights of Ren had left. "He's gone..." He answered, stepping over bodies to get to the entrance. The sky was dark and the droid beeped with worry for the teenaged girl Luke had in his arms._

 _Her hands gripped his cloak, and he could feel her pain. She would surely die like the others if he didn't do something soon, if help wasn't already on its way. Luke looked down,"I'm sorry, Avry. I'm so sorry." He could only apologize to the last padawan of his jedi order._

* * *

The girl woke with a start. Avry could still hears the echoes of her Jedi master apologizing to her over and over again. She knew he was sorry, and for a time she couldn't blame him. Now she did. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light that poured through her window. It must be early morning, with dawn just arriving over the land.

Avry let out a breath as she sat up. She had to constantly remind herself when she woke up each morning that she was safe from what happened to her. She had done a good job at hiding, almost as good as Luke. The First Order or the Knights of Ren couldn't find her here.

Her feet swung over the side of the bed, touching the cold ground. She stood up, grabbing her brush as she moved to her mirror. A fair face with auburn hair that cascaded down just to her shoulders, and deep blue eyes. In her nightmares, or memories rather, that young girl she was seemed lost to her now. A child grew up and the only traces of what used to be laid on the outside.

She moved over to her wardrobe, selecting clothes for her to wear. She picked out a blue shirt with sleeves that puffed at the elbows, and a simple brown skirt. It was regular for a day of work. The girl picked up a white handkerchief and tied it to cover her hair. She tucked the fabric behind her ears before sighing at the sight of herself in the mirror.

A life like hers now might be boring. Waking up at the crack of dawn just to work on a small patch of land. It was nothing compared to the life she gave up, or the life she lost.

She slipped on her boots, making her way outside to her front door. Avry took a deep breath as she exited her house with a bucket in hand. The small village that she lived in became a perfect place to hide. Far enough to be away from First Order business and Rebellion ties. Dantooine was truly in the middle of nowhere. As much as she would've liked to run away like Han did and never stop, she sided with her old Jedi master on cowering at the edge of the galaxy.

People were starting to get ready for the day, setting up their shops. Avry made her way to the village circle, going over to the well with her bucket. A Chalactan girl waited there with her own bucket, waving hello to Avry as she approached. She had dark hair that was braided into three thin braids that went down her her knees, and a small silver bead laid on her forehead between her eyes. A symbol of the Chalactan religion, no doubt.

"Good morning, Whaoli." She smiled, earning a smile from the teenaged girl. Once Whaoli was finished collecting her water, she untied the rope and handed it to Avry. "Morning, _Caddy_." The girl responded. Avry tried to keep the smile of her face, but the name she chose to live under never failed to torture her. She did this to herself, so she would never forget the person she let die.

Whaoli waited as Avry collected water. The younger girl was always up to conversation, especially village gossip. "Did you hear a Resistance pilot landed last night? Dantooine hasn't had rebels in years. Do you think he's on a mission? No outsiders ever come here." Whaoli pointed out. Avry smiled softly,"Except me, right?" She said. Whaoli blushed with embarrassment. "You came here when I was only a little girl. If you ask me, I've known you for my entire life. You worked on my family's farm for a few years before my father helped you get your own land. You're a local. Dantooine is your home... especially since you never tell anyone where you're really from." Whaoli said.

She let out a sigh,"That's because I'm from nowhere." Avry replied. It was true in a way, the Jedi temple was lost and it was the only home she knew. There was nothing to go back too. Whaoli was right. Dantooine was her home now.

Avry leaned over and pulled her bucket up. Just as she was untying the rope, something bumped into her legs, pushing her forward over the side of the well. Her bucket tipped over, falling down the well with no rope tied to it. Avry didn't even think before stopping it with the force, and gently bringing it up until the handle was in her fingers. "Caddesca!" Whaoli grabbed her other arm and pulled her away from the well.

"It's okay, I got it." Avry let out a breath. Whaoli seemed to be oblivious to her use of the force, which was good. The truth would only put her in danger. Her blue eyes looked down at a sudden beeping noise. A droid apologizing. She didn't think she'd see this again after parting with R2D2 and C3PO. She softly smiled, kneeling down in front of the white and orange droid. "Don't you worry about it. I'm fine." She assured the droid.

A man with wavy dark hair ran over,"BB-8! I told you to stay close to me." He scolded the robot only for a moment before chuckling at the beep that followed. "Yeah, yeah, play the innocent card why don't you." He said, finally taking notice to the two farm girls in front of him. Whaoli had clearly clued in on his identity, and was currently elbowing the redhead besides her.

"Ow." Avry mumbled, glaring at the teenaged girl. She then looked to the man,"I take it your the droid's master. BB-8?" Avry asked, looking down at the droid who beeped in confirmation. Avry smiled,"Caddesca, and this is Whaoli." She introduced. The droid began beeping erratically, and Avry furrowed her brows. The man seemed surprised as well. "Poe. Dameron. And you... the owner of the tavern said a man named Lor San Tekka visited you over a year ago. Is this true?" Poe asked.

The girl clearly must've turned as white as a ghost, because Whaoli and Poe were giving her concerned looks. In truth, she always knew that Tekka always planned to be found. Even if he knew the only way would be through Avry. He was a smart man, making sure the only person who knew of his whereabouts was herself. "Whaoli, I need you to go home to your family." She instructed.

Whaoli furrowed her brows,"What? Why?" She questioned, clearly confused. Avry frowned, looking over at a girl she watched grow up. She couldn't have the same fate as those close to her. "Because the Resistance– they might've found me first... but the First Order won't be far behind. They'll kill you, and your family. Or they'll torture you for information... please. I need you and your family to leave." Avry urged.

"I d-don't understand..." Whaoli trailed off, taking a hesitant step back. Her eyes were filled with shock and mistrust. With her free hand, she moved forward and gently took Whaoli's hand. "Please, I need you to believe me. I need you to leave. Leave Dantooine if possible... I'm so sorry." She apologized, letting go of the young girl's hand.

She could tell that Whaoli didn't understand, but the teenager gave a short nod before looking at Poe. Her brown eyes drifted back to Avry,"Stay safe." She begged. Avry nodded her head a little, knowing the girl had grown attached to her over the years she had lived on Dantooine. She had watched the young Chalactan girl turn around and walk away from them.

And she could only hope this wouldn't be the last time she saw her.

Avry looked to Poe, frowning a little. "I know what you're after, and he has what your general is desperately looking for. I can tell you where he is... and I'd like to see him again if you promise safe travels." She told him. Poe nodded his head,"Anything. This is vital information. I promise I'll keep you safe from the First Order. It'll be my duty." He promised.

She nodded her head, he was a loyal man and thankfully for the better. "I know, and we don't have much time. The First Order won't be far behind."

* * *

The trip to Jakku wasn't exactly pleasant. A X-wing only seated one comfortable, and it was awkwardly for her to sit half on his lap the entire time. Poe was surprised a simple farm girl could pack up her things so quick, but he wasn't aware of the training she had. The goal of the Jedi was to have no ties to any particular place, and to always be prepared to pack up and go wherever the galaxy need you to be. She had snuck her old lightsaber into her things. Avry didn't want to be in a position to use it, but she knew the day would come eventually.

Poe helped her out of his ship, BB-8 following in suit. "You know... you look more like a smuggler than a farm girl in those clothes." The pilot commented. He wasn't an idiot, he could tell that there was certainly more to this woman than she led on. Avry rolled her eyes. "How do you know I wasn't?" She said it jokingly, but it concealed the truth. The small settlement of Tuanul laid before them, and the sun was starting to go down. Avry stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. Soon she would know where Tekka was.

"Follow me." She said after a moment, moving over to a hut in the distance. Poe and BB-8 followed, and Avry's eyes grew soft as an old man stepped out of the hut. He stopped in his tracks, looking over in the distance as he recognized the auburn haired girl. He smiled, walking over with his arms extended. He hugged Avry to her surprise. "I knew you wouldn't hide in the shadows forever. You're a brave girl." Tekka told him. Avry frowned, she was disappointed in herself. There he was calling her brave when she was the one who cowered for so long.

Tekka's eyes trailed off in the distance, noticing the ones who followed her. He looked down at the girl,"The Resistance... you haven't told him who you really are? That you're the one who gave me the key to finding Luke Skywalker?" Tekka questioned. The girl met the old man's eyes. "I haven't told him. And he can't know... that was a secret you promised me a long time ago."

* * *

 _"Is this what I think it is?" Tekka asked the girl. She watched as the wind blew through the grass of her land. She took a deep breath before nodding her head. "It is. I... I often thought about throwing it away after Luke abandoned me. But... it's safe in the hands of a man who still believes in the Jedi. Besides... Caddesca trusted you." She told him honestly. Tekka looked down at the leather sack in his hands. He was finally starting to understand why she had requested him to visit her. After living in the shadows for so long, Tekka believed she was dead. He was more than shocked when Han Solo himself came bearing the message of the last padawan of Luke's Jedi order._

 _His blue eyes traveled up to hers,"How long have you had this?" He questioned. Avry frowned, and looked back at him. "Since Luke left me to die. I was on my death bed and he hardly said goodbye... he probably hoped this would die with me. He had to know R2 would go dark after he left. A way for him to never be found." She guessed, but that version of the story was only bitter because Avry felt abandoned by the Jedi master. Even to this day._

 _Tekka sighed and nodded his head. "I'll keep this safe then... and I'll be going to Jakku. Tuanul. A small settlement where I can stay hidden as you have... but are you sure this is what you want?" He asked carefully. She nodded her head with no hesitation. "I want away from all of this. Especially Luke. I'm not a jedi, Tekka, nor a smuggler. I'm a farmer." She said, trying to convince him of something she said with a waver of doubt._

 _"You will always be a jedi, Avry Fayar. The force flows within you. You cannot fight it. You cannot run from it. And you cannot hide it... and you'll realize this one day. Once you release this grip you convinced yourself the past has on you." Tekka was pleading with her, and Avry knew it. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I still remember all of them, you know. All their faces... even Caddesca's. I won't forget their deaths." She said firmly._

 _Avry was surprised when she felt his hand on her shoulder, not used to the comfort. "No one said you had to forget them. Not even the boy you fell in love with." He told her gently but she only moved away from his touch now. "Don't talk to me about him. He's dead. Kylo Ren killed him." She said._

 _A sigh followed her sentence. "Now you sound like an old jedi master who told a farm boy his father was dead. Ben isn't lost to you... and if you believe he is, then he will be." The man warned. Avry looked at him, her eyes showing vulnerability. He could see somewhere she believed what he said was true, but holding onto that hope could hurt her too much. The belief soon vanished and Tekka frowned. He could see she was still healing from old scars that refused to fade, but there was hope for this jedi yet._

* * *

 **A/N: So... that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. The First Order Attacks

Avry exited the tent, leaving Poe and Tekka to talk. No doubt the pilot wondered about her relationship to Tekka, but she didn't want to lie and the only way to tell the truth was to reveal her identity. She wasn't so sure she was ready for that, even if he seemed trustworthy. BB-8 beeped at her and she smiled. "You're on guard, are you? Can I join?" She asked, the droid beeping a yes in response.

She followed the droid as he rolled off to watch the horizon. The sun had finally gone down and the villagers of the small settlement were starting to settle in for the night. She sat down next to the droid, thankful for the peace and quiet that seemed rest over them. However the silence was broken by the droid.

The girl chuckled at BB-8's question. "Did you just ask me why I look so sad all the time?" She asked, raising a brow. The droid beeped in defense, trying to explain himself. Avry simply shook her head. "No... it's true. I can't blame you for being honest." She said simply.

BB-8 questioned her again and she only sighed and looked to the droid. "I've always been sad, at least to some degree. I never knew my family... my blood. All I have is my name, and vague memories and impressions of who my family was. But that's it." She told the droid. BB-8 beeped sadly, rolling over and nudging her gently. Avry smiled small, looking over at BB-8.

The mood that had settled over them changed drastically as she felt a dark force coming near. Avry rushed to her feet, looking at the skyline. "No..." She said, and in the distance she could outline the enemy ships heading towards the village of Tuanul. Avry looked back to see the droid already rolling frantically back to his master and Tekka.

The droid rolled into the hut, frantically beeping. Avry rushed in after the droid,"The First Order." She warned. Poe frowned immediately, looking to Tekka. "We've got company." He warned the old man. The pilot exited the hut, staring in the distance. Enemy ships lined the horizon and they were getting closer. "You have to hide." Poe quickly told Tekka.

"You have to leave. Go!" Tekka told Poe and Avry. While the young man seemed conflicted for a moment he nodded his head. "Come on, Caddesca. I promised I would protect you from the First Order. We have to go _now_." He urged, but Avry seemed frozen in place.

She stared at Tekka with concern in her eyes. "No. I won't leave you. He'll find you and he'll kill you and–" Avry was cut off when Tekka grabbed a hold of her shoulders. He smiled softly at the young woman before him. "Please, Avry. You're one of the galaxy's only hope. Don't waste your thoughts on me... don't run from who you are anymore." He told her, meeting her eyes. Avry frowned when she realized the old man was right. She couldn't run anymore from the past.

Poe was confused at the sound of her real name, but grabbed her hand. "Come on!" He said, and Tekka let go of her. Poe and Avry ran outside, towards the direction of his ship. The enemy ships had landed, but the villagers seemed prepared to fight back.

"Come on, BB-8! Hurry!" Poe called to the rolling droid who followed in their suits. BB-8 immediately got into his position in the X-wing as Poe helped Avry onto the ship. The ship was hit suddenly by blasterfire and Avry yelped in surprise. Poe got into the pilot seat. "I see 'em!" He yelled, blasting the stormtroopers away. However, when he tried to start the engine it failed.

Avry frowned as the two realized they were in trouble. The ship was damaged, and now they had no escape. Poe climbed down, helping Avry who grabbed her satchel from the ship. It had her cloak in it, which she took out and draped over her shoulders as Poe took out the leather sack. He moved over to BB-8 who beeped nervously.

"You take this. It's safer with you than it is with me. You get as far away from here as you can. Do you hear me?" Poe instructed. BB-8 beeped with hesitation, clearly not ready to leave his master behind. "I'll come back for you. It will be alright." He assured the droid, looking back at Avry. "Go with BB-8." Poe instructed.

She immediately shook her head. "No, I won't leave you." She repeated, not liking the thought of leaving another person behind. "You have to. It's your only hope, and if you stay you'll be captured or killed. Now go!" Poe urged her and the droid on their way.

Poe turned and ran into the direction of the action. BB-8 hesitated before rolling off, beeping and looking behind when he realized Avry wasn't following. She could only look at Poe. "Go, BB-8!" She yelled, not looking back. "I'll make sure Poe comes back to you." And with that, Avry reached into her satchel and brought out her blaster. A blaster given her to none other than Han Solo.

The woman ran to his aid, shooting down a stormtrooper in suit. Poe whipped his head around,"You're not supposed to be here!" He exclaimed and Avry huffed, blowing a strand of her auburn hair out of her face. Her eyes gleamed,"And leave all the fun to you?" She joked, pulling the hood of her cloak over her hair before shooting down another trooper. "I have your back, Poe Dameron. And my real name is Avry Fayar." She told him with a smile. Poe seemed surprised at her honesty, but nodded his head. "Good to have you by my side, Avry."

In the distance, Tekka approached a dark figure that was exiting a ship. The old man frowned, staring with anger at the cloaked man before him. Kylo Ren must've been smirking underneath that mask as he stared the old man down. "Look how old you've become." His voice was darker, and distorted by the mask he was wearing. No doubt to strike fear into the hearts of others.

He had taken no notice to the Jedi who laid not so far away, but Avry lowered her blaster as she watched the confrontation. "Ben." She whispered, immediately frozen at the sight ahead of her. Poe stopped shooting when he realized she was going into shock. "What's wrong..." Poe dropped his sentence as he noticed Tekka in the distance.

"Something far worse has happened to you." Tekka replied, his eyes drifting to notice Avry watching them. He quickly looked back at Kylo Ren before he could notice. He wouldn't risk revealing Avry to the man who almost killed her. "You know what I've come for." Ren said simply, and Tekka studied him for a moment. "I know where you come from. Before you called yourself Kylo Ren." Tekka was obviously aiming for a reaction out of the man.

Ren barely moved, but to his advantage the mask hid his true feelings. "The map to Skywalker." He continued,"We know you've found it, and now you're going to give it to the First Order." Ren demanded. Tekka stared at him,"The First Order rose from the dark side... you did not." Tekka knew he was pushing his buttons. Kylo Ren attempted control, but he was notorious for his short temper.

"I'll show you the dark side." Kylo Ren's response was dark in its nature, but Tekka only stared at him with sorrow and pity in his eyes. It was hard for the old man to see what became of someone who was once just a boy. His eyes trailed back to Avry. He had to make sure he wouldn't notice her.

The old man looked back at Kylo Ren, staring down the intimidating commander. "You may try, but you cannot deny the truth that is your family." Tekka said softly. Kylo Ren raised his lightsaber, igniting it. It had worked, and now Kylo Ren was too angry to notice Avry who stood not too far away from them. The sight of it was enough to send Avry in complete panic. "You're so right." Ren responded, ripping it down across Lor San Tekka.

Avry screamed out in agony. The fact it wasn't the first time she stood by as Kylo Ren killed someone was nearly unbearable. Her hands went to her abdomen, and even through the fabric of her shirt she could feel _it_. The scars. She shouldn't have given Tekka the map. Now it was her fault he was dead.

Poe ran past her, yelling and raising his blaster. He aimed and shot at Kylo Ren but the masked figure raised his hand and stopped the blast mid air. She was suddenly hit with the force as it tried to hold her still. Looking over at Poe, she could tell he could barely move. But she could fight this, and she could fight him. Avry broke out of the hold, causing the vacant mask staring down the pilot to switch to her. Kylo Ren met her eyes and Avry wondered if he recognized her. Her cloak covered her auburn hair, but he could see her eyes. He turned his head to the side a little, and she could tell he was debated it.

Stormtroopers went to grab Poe, and she took this opportunity to run. Kylo Ren yelled at his troopers to pursue her. Avry looked back, seeing the disappointment in Poe's eyes. She was running away, throwing him to the wolves. She closed her eyes for a moment, hating the look the pilot had given her.

The woman ran to take cover, shooting down stormtroopers that got in her way. Avry dared not to look back at Poe, afraid she would only see his execution. Avry stopped when she realized she wasn't being pursued anymore. The stormtroopers had been ordered into to get rid of the villagers they had gathered up in the center of Tuanul. Avry froze, every inch of her feeling the loss of the lives before her.

Despite the tragedy, Avry's eyes scanned the crowd. There was... a light. She felt it among the crowd of stormtroopers. The one with the blood on his helmet. He hadn't shot any of them. Kylo Ren turned his head as well, noticing the stormtrooper like she had.

Her eyes softened as she turned her head, watching as Poe was being dragged on board. They hadn't killed him. Avry was conflicted for the moment. She could still make it to BB-8 if she ran fast enough, but she promised the droid she would see to Poe's safety. She promised Poe she had his back. Yet her promises meant nothing the minute Kylo Ren's saber ripped through Lor San Tekka like the old man tissue paper.

What did Tekka say? Galaxy's only hope? Avry took a shaky breath, but ran back towards the ships despite her fear. The Jedi started to mentally build herself up to the plan that she was forming in her head. She had been a smuggler before, with Han. She knew how to sneak onto a ship, even if the ship belonged to the most dangerous people in the galaxy.

She ran to one of their transport ships just as the stormtroopers were begging to get back into formation. None of them had noticed her yet, and Kylo Ren's ship was already taking off. Avry ran on board quickly, sneaking away in a corner. The woman found a locker filled with spare uniforms and extra blasters, slipping in just as the marching of troopers moved towards the hanger. She adjusted herself uncomfortable against a stormtrooper helmet, hoping the ride wouldn't be a long one.

* * *

Avry remained undetected to her surprise. She stayed still as the troopers began to exit the ship, but she could still feel a few souls lingering among the transport ship. One she recognized: the stormtrooper who didn't kill the villagers.

FN-2187 took off his helmet, revealing his face for what felt like the first time. He desperately tried to capture his breath, and Avry pressed her ear to the door of the closet. She pushed past the sleeve of a uniform, peeking through the small crack she left open. The masks made it so hard to view them as human sometimes, but looking at him now Avry could see he seemed a few years younger than her. He was just a young man.

The captain in silver armor approached him, clearly staring him down. "FN-2187. Submit your blaster for inspection." She instructed. "Yes, Captain." He responded. A phrase that should usually sound firm was freckled with nervousness. Avry recognized the look in his eyes. He had lost a friend.

"And who gave you permission to remove that helmet?" She asked. He frowned, and looked away. He knew he was in trouble. "I'm sorry, Captain." He told her gently. The captain seemed unimpressed, but left shortly after. The trooper moved to the locker to replace his helmet, his eyes trailing off and the blood that stained his original helmet.

The minute he opened up the locker door, Avry raised her hand and froze him in place. "Please don't say anything. I know you're not one of them, not truly." Avry pleaded. He furrowed his brows, studying her blue eyes. "Truly?" He was clearly confused as Avry lowered her hand, letting him move again. Avry stepped out, handing him the new helmet he was looking for. FN-2187 seemed thoroughly confused with the stowaway, wearing an expression that almost tempted Avry to laugh.

"Who are you? What are you? How did you–" FN-2187 began, clearly still confused. He had only seen one other person with this power, and that was Kylo Ren. But this girl seemed nothing like Kylo Ren. She was shorter than him and her fair skin gave her a doll like innocence. And she hadn't killed him, or even try to hurt him.

Avry moved past the trooper, looking at the hangar carefully. "My name is Avry. There is a man on board that was taken by Kylo Ren and he is a friend of mine, and a Resistance pilot. I promised I would help him... and I let him get captured, so I won't leave him here. You have a choice now. You can either go tell your captain about this and I'll be tortured or killed. Or... you can help get my friend out of here." She offered him. "Phasma?" He asked, looking outside the hangar. The silver armored female wasn't far away, but he nodded his head. After seeing what the First Order could do, he wanted out of there as well.

"I'll help." FN-2187 agreed.

She smiled immediately at his response. "Thank you. Now what's the plan?" She asked. The trooper let out a nervous breath, before putting on the clean helmet Avry had handed to him. "I have an idea, but you're going to have to trust me." He told her. Avry considered this for a moment, but nodded her head.

* * *

Poe groaned, still in pain after his interrogation. He remained shackled to the chair, and the guard hardly looked at him. He had half a mind to throw in another snarky comment, but he was drained of his energy to. The cell door whooshed open as a stormtrooper entered. FN-2187 tried to remain calm as he approached the guard. "Ren wants the prisoner." He said, wondering if he sounded convincing. The guard however began to unshackle the pilot and FN-2187 smiled underneath his helmet.

He held a blaster to the man's side, leading him down the corridor. "Turn here." He instructed, and Poe turned down the narrow passage way. When the trooper stopped, Poe furrowed his brows in confusion. "Listen carefully," FN-2187 began,"you do exactly as I say, I can get you out of here." He told him. Poe blinked, astonished. "What?" He asked.

The stormtrooper took off his helmet. "This is a rescue. I'm helping you escape. Can you fly a TIE fighter?" He questioned. Poe raised his brows, almost smiling,"You're with the Resistance?" The glimmer of hope in the pilot's eyes was almost enough for FN-2187 to lie and say yes, but the idea seemed so crazy. " _What_? No no no! I'm breaking you out. Can you fly a TIE fighter?" He asked.

Poe smirked,"I can fly anything." He said proudly, but studied the trooper for a moment. "Why– why are you helping me?" Poe couldn't help but ask. FN-2187 straightened his posture. "Because it's the right thing to do." He told him firmly. A very heroic thing to say, but the pilot could sense something more. Then it hit him.

"You need a pilot."

"I need a pilot."

"There's our pilot." The pair were broken up at the sound a girl's voice. The two whipped their heads around to notice Avry smiling at the two of them. Poe chuckled for a moment, reaching over and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You came back for me." Poe said, clearly surprised. The auburn haired woman nodded her head, her eyes gleaming at the happiness he showed. "I shouldn't have left you... Tekka–" She began, but Poe shook his head. "No. It's okay. I get it." He assured her.

The pilot turned to the trooper, back to Avry before smiling. "We're gonna do this." Poe told them, his classic hero's smile encouraging them both. Avry nodded her head,"Yeah." She agreed. FN-2187 however seemed quite nervous compared to the two. "Yeah...?" He said, wanting to sound convincing but failing.

* * *

"Okay, stay calm, stay calm." FN-2187 mumbled, leading Poe through the hangar. He was masked again, and in character enough for a group of passing officers not to question him. Poe raised a brow,"I am calm." He pointed out. The trooper looked over,"I'm talking to myself." He clarified. Poe nodded his head as his eyes scanned the area. "Where did Avry say she'd meet us?" He asked in a whisper, and the trooper lead him silently and quickly towards the far wall. A hushed voice whistled lowly from up the steps of the stairs, indicating Avry had secured their ship. FN-2187 went up the stairs and Poe followed him up.

Poe dropped into the pilot seat of the TIE fighter with a sore groan, hitting Avry's arm in the process. "Hey, watch it, this ship seats two– I really need to stop sitting this close to you." She complained but only to make Poe smile. She had done the same thing in their flight to Jakku. FN-2187 settle himself in the gunner seat, taking off his helmet. "I always wanted to fly one of these things." Poe said excitedly as he started up the ship.

"Can you shoot?" He asked. "Blasters, I can." The trooper responded to Poe's question. "Okay, same principal. Use the toggle on the left to switch between missiles, cannons, and mag pulse - use the site on the right to aim, triggers to fire!" Poe instructed. "This is very complicated." FN-2187 replied, and Avry leaned over. "Like this–" She demonstrated just as the TIE fighter lurched forward, but was unable to fly away. "Poe!" She said, turning back to the pilot. "I can fix this." He told her, but she shook her head. "Allow me!" Avry exclaimed.

It didn't take long before the cables disconnected from the TIE fighter. Poe and FN-2187 turned to the redhead with raised brows and she shrugged. She knew they probably had some knowledge of the force, but she would leave it up to them to piece it together.

"Shoot 'em up, boys!" She told them, holding onto the structure of the TIE fighter as FN-2187 began shooting down the hangar, even hitting the control room. Poe lead the ship when it was finally free, excited with the feel of it. "Wow, this thing really moves. Alright, we're gotta to take out as many cannons as we can or we're not gonna get too far." He told him. The trooper nodded,"Alright." He responded. "I'm going to get us into position, just stay sharp!"

The TIE fighter dove through the opening between the levels of the massive ship, flying down underneath it. Poe directed them towards the cannons. "Up ahead! Up ahead! You see it? I've got us dead center. It's a clean shot." Poe said. "Okay, got it." And with that, FN-2187 took the shot. He yelled in celebration as the cannons exploded, and the TIE fighter sailed through the debris with ease. "Yes! You see that?! Did you see that?!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "I saw it!" Poe grinned.

"Good job, FN-2187." Avry congratulated him and looked back, seeing the stormtrooper smile in response. Poe furrowed his brows at the name Avry had used. "FN- _what_?" He asked. "That was the only name they ever gave me." FN-2187 explained. "Well I ain't using it. FN, huh? I'm gonna call you Finn! Is that alright?" Poe said.

A smile grew bigger on the stormtrooper's face, and he nodded his head slowly. "Finn... yeah, Finn. I like that! I like that!" He exclaimed. Avry chuckled, the excitement he was giving off was almost enough to mask the danger they were still in. "I'm Poe. Poe Dameron." He said. Finn nodded his head,"Good to meet you, Poe. And you too, Avry." He said. Poe nodded,"Good to meet you too, Finn." Avry nodded her head.

The girl's smile slipped. "Ventral cannons, heading this way." She warned the two. Poe was confused for a moment, but didn't question it as he noticed she was right. "One's coming towards you, Finn. My right, your left. Do you see it?" Poe asked. Finn nodded his head,"I see it." He immediately shot, and Poe smiled. "Nice shot." He complimented.

Finn's eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked around. "Where are you going?" He asked Poe. "We're going back to Jakku. That's where." Poe explained. "No no no! We can't go back to Jakku! We need to get out of this system!" Finn urged. "I have to get to my droid before the First Order does!" Poe responded. "What– a droid?!" Finn asked.

Avry sent the trooper a look,"He's got vital information important to the Resistance. We're not leaving him behind." She told him. Poe nodded at her, silently thanking her for backing her up. "He's a BB unit. Orange and white; one of a kind." Poe said like a proud father. "I don't care what color he is! No droid is that important!" Finn said, and Avry immediately caught the fear in his voice. "Don't insult BB-8 because of your own personal feelings." She warned him. It was less than a day she had spent with the droid, but Avry still found herself attached to him.

Besides, she had promised she would return Poe to him.

"This one is, pal." Poe defended, and Finn groaned in frustration. "We need to get as far away from the First Order as we can! We go back to Jakku, we _die_!" He warned, but Poe was having none of this. "That droid's got a map that leads straight to Luke Skywalker!" He yelled. Finn's jaw dropped at the name. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Finn yelled. "BOYS–" It was too late when Avry stopped the argument, for their ship had been hit a second after.

The TIE fighter smoked and sparked, spiraling out of control straight towards the planet of Jakku.


	3. The Millennium Falcon

_A calm passed over the force as the padawan sat in the sunlight. A gentle breeze flew past her, sending her long auburn curls wild in the wind. It was the most peaceful day. Everybody in the Jedi temple seemed to be in a good mood, and the young teenager had sneaked away to squeeze in some extra training on one of her days off. She was always training, only because she was so young to be a padawan. She couldn't let her master down._

 _In the distance, another padawan watched her. The dark haired boy smiled gently, staring down at the small object in his hand. He almost hesitated to approach her. Ben knew she was training. However, that Solo courage (or recklessness his mother would say) got him to walk over. Avry immediately sensed him near, and opened her eyes. She turned her head, smiling back at Ben._

 _The girl patted the ground next to her, and Ben didn't hesitate this time. He sat besides her, taking in a breath of the fresh air. "Are here to join me in my training again? Caddesca's lesson of the day is to focus." Avry informed him. "And tell me, what are you focusing on?" Ben asked, a little curious to what was going on in her head. The girl shrugged her shoulders casually,"It's just my family." She answered._

 _Ben nodded his head slowly. Avry always seemed confident that one day she would remember what happened to her family, even if she was just a baby when it happened. "What if what you find disappoints you?" He asked carefully, hoping he didn't sound discouraging. Avry frowned a little and shook her head. "I can't believe that. If they're dead... which they probably are- I want to know how at least." She decided on._

 _He gently reached over and touched her arm. "Are you sure that's what you want?" He questioned. She nodded her head softly. Ben frowned a little, but nodded his head. "I have something for you. A surprise." The boy quickly changed the subject with a quick smile. Avry raised her brows, but she had to admit she was a little excited._

 _The padawan reached over his other hand, opening it to reveal a small crystal in his palm. Ben smiled softly as he watched the girl's face lit up. "Is that a kyber crystal?" She asked, taking the white crystal from him. Her eyes trailed over the crystal with awe. She couldn't believe he went through the trouble of getting her one._

 _"Yes... and I know you've already made a lightsaber. I've already made a lightsaber... but, you know- Lor San Tekka once told us that a jedi's lightsaber is like his life. You have yours. I have mine. But I thought... I thought we could make one together." He said carefully. Avry looked down at the crystal again before meeting his brown eyes. "A jedi's life... so do you mean- our life?" Avry asked him. Ben blushed, looking down. He was clearly embarrassed by the way it sounded out loud but he slowly nodded his head._

 _Avry smiled at him,"Yes." The teenager replied. Ben immediately looked up in surprise. "Yes? I mean... you would- I... I was so afraid to ask because what's between us- I didn't know if you wanted this. If you wanted me. I mean- I might be someone... but it's always been just a name so I thought if you really got to know me, you wouldn't like me and I... I really like you." He admitted in a ramble._

 _She chuckled and leaned over. "I want you, Ben, and I want us." She assured him with a bright smile. Avry closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. The two shared a small tender kiss, but Ben broke it off after a moment._

 _"Avry... if I asked you to leave with me? Would you?" Ben asked carefully, something changing in his eyes. This wasn't right, and this wasn't real anymore. The memory had become a **nightmare**. "What are you talking about?" Avry asked, furrowing her brows. Ben smiled darkly, his brown eyes had turned yellow. "I mean, would you join the Dark Side with me?" His voice was now the distorted voice of Kylo Ren._

 _She moved back and shook her head quickly, dropping the white crystal which now turned into a cracked red one. "No? I thought you loved me, Avry. Whatever happened to our life?" He asked. Avry suddenly had tears in her eyes. "No- this isn't right! You're good! Why did you try to kill me? Why did you kill Caddesca? Why did you betray your family, Ben?" She cried out._

 _Ben put on his mask, a dark robe now draping his frame. In the background, she could see the burning Jedi temple. "Don't you know, Avry? I did it because of you." Kylo Ren replied. Avry shook her head as tears fell down her cheeks. "No... NO!" She screamed._

* * *

Avry sat up abruptly,"Ben!" She shouted, looking around as she breathed heavily. Where... where was she? Her head throbbed as her eyes adjusted to the harsh sun that was filling the sandy landscape. The dessert. Jakku. She had crash landed on Jakku. Avry stood up, throwing off her black cloak. Sand stuck to the side of her face, but she wasn't concerned with that. She hadn't crash landed alone.

"POE!" She called out, whipping her head around as she searched the dunes. "FINN!" Avry yelled, but she couldn't sense either one of their presences near. "No..." Avry didn't want to believe the worst, but she couldn't even see the remains of the TIE fighter.

The redhead brushed off her face, looking around. Her satchel had scattered a couple of her things across the small dune. The sun reflected off her lightsaber and she used to the force to bring it into her hands. The girl ignited the saber, watching its white light come off of it. It was their lightsaber, the one she made with Ben all those years ago.

* * *

Kylo Ren stood in his quarters aboard the Starkiller Base. That stormtrooper from the village seemed so weak in his eyes, abandoning his comrades for the Resistance. And that cloaked woman who had helped them... had very similar eyes to someone who was supposed to be dead. Kylo Ren grunted, finding his mask very suffocating as he thought of her.

The tall man unmasked himself, letting his dark waves cascade freely. He sighed, moving to a drawer. He pulled out a lightsaber, blowing off some dust that had collected on it over the past years. Ren ignited it, watching as the green lightsaber shone against the black backdrop of his room.

It was Avry's lightsaber. The one he picked off from her dead body. He frowned as he thought about the cloaked woman, just as the door whooshed open. He glared and turned off the lightsaber immediately, throwing it back into his door and closing it. "What do you want, Hux?" Ren asked, already noting the general's presence. The redheaded man frowned and moved over with a sigh.

"We have identified the third accomplice. A woman from Dantooine that accompanied the pilot to Jakku. We believe she is the one who gave him Tekka's location. No further information is known, but a Chalactan girl we captured from Dantooine was able to identify her. Caddesca Racca." Hux informed. Kylo Ren's eyes grew wide with shock, but mostly fear. If she was alive, he'd be forced to kill her again.

He immediately turned and grabbed his mask. "Tell your men to capture the woman along with the droid. Find them both, and bring them both back unharmed." Kylo Ren ordered. Hux furrowed his brows,"We'll see what the Supreme Leader has to say about this. He has requested a meeting with us." Hux told him. Ren frowned, lifting his helmet slipping it over his head.

" _Perfect_." He said, his voice distorted by the mask once more.

* * *

Avry had wondered to the Niima Outpost by now. She was overwhelmed with thirst, and the woman moved over to a scavenger quickly. "Water." She asked, and the small creature pointed to a watering hole near by. Avry frowned, knowing it was used for the animals these people ride out into the dessert, but she was too parched to argue.

The woman leaned next to the water hole, drinking only a handful when she heard a commotion happening not too far from her. Avry stood up, sensing a familiar presence. She ran over through the tent market to find a human scavenger held her staff over a familiar stormtrooper. She looked to be questioning him just as a droid rolled besides her.

Finn was wearing Poe's jacket. But there wasn't any Poe. Avry ran over, holding her hands up. "BB-8, don't zap him!" She pleaded, running over to the white and orange droid. The droid beeped in surprise, immediately rolling into the woman's legs and knocking her down besides Finn. Finn seemed in shock at the sight of Avry. "You're alive?!" He asked, a smile lighting up his face as he pulled the girl into a hug. Avry was taken by surprise, but nodded her head. "Yes, but- where's Poe?" She questioned.

He slowly looked down, shaking his head. BB-8 beeped in confusion and looked to Finn. "It belonged to Poe Dameron." He said, referring to Poe's jacket that he was wearing. "That was his name, right?" Avry lowered her head as she realized what happened. "He was captured by the First Order. We helped him escape... but our ship crashed. Poe didn't make it." Finn finished.

BB-8 beeped sadly, and Finn only looked at him. "Look, I tried to help him. I'm sorry..." But before he could finish, BB-8 rolled away in his distress. Avry stood up, following the droid. "I told you I would bring him back." She said. BB-8 stopped, turning his head around to look at her. Avry frowned, her eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him." She apologized. BB-8 looked at her only for a moment before rolling away to be alone for a moment.

"So... are you two with the Resistance?" The brunette behind them asked. She seemed almost impressed, and Avry studied her for a moment. She blinked, realizing something about the girl. Force sensitivity. It was vague, maybe hidden, but it felt awfully like it.

Before Avry could get the story straight, Finn seemed to have an answer for them both. "Obviously. Yes. I am. I'm with the Resistance, yeah." He casually responded, leaning in. "We're with the Resistance." He whispered. The girl smiled, but Avry looked at him with a raised brow.

Feeling the redhead's eyes on him, he looked back at her and mouthed a 'go with it'. She rolled her eyes, but decided to go with it. Finn stood up, and the girl studied him for a moment. "I've never met a Resistance fighter before." She commented. Finn shrugged,"Well, this is what we look like. Some of us. Others look different." He replied. Avry had to bite her lip, and look away. That whole conversation was too much for her.

"BB-8 says he's on a secret mission, he has to get back to your base." She said. Avry looked to the sad droid in the distance. He was still carrying the map to her old Jedi Master. "Apparently he's carrying a map that leads to Luke Skywalker, and everyone's after it." Finn informed her. The girl seemed surprised for a moment. "Luke Skywalker? I thought he was a myth." She said, a little confused.

Avry scoffed a little,"Probably wishes he is." She commented, earning a look from both Finn and the girl. She raised her hands in defense. "Sorry, just thinking out loud." Avry shrugged just as BB-8 rolled over beeping with concern. "What is it?" The scavenger asked and BB-8 turned his head in the direction of stormtroopers who were now pointing their way.

Finn grabbed the girl's hand, immediately tugging her back slowly. "What are you doing?" The brunette asked, staring down at his hand around hers. Avry shook her head at her,"No time to argue." She said, running away with BB-8 rolling besides her. "Come on!" Finn urged, and the four of them took off running. Blasts exploded the areas next to them, earning a small yelp from the scavenger.

Avry reached into her satchel, pulling out her blaster and shooting at the stormtroopers as they continued running through the tents of the market. "Come on, BB-8!" Finn yelled to the droid who was trailing behind. The girl frowned,"Let go of me!" She urged him. Finn didn't even look at her. "No, we gotta move!" He said. "I know how run without you holding my hand!" She yelled, pulling her hand back. The droid and Avry caught up with them,"BB-8, and you- stay close! This way!" The scavenger exclaimed, rushing into a tent. The three followed her.

"Call in the air strike!" A stormtrooper yelled, still in pursuit of them.

The girl whipped her head around to Finn and Avry,"They're shooting at all of us!" She pointed out. Finn frowned,"Yeah, they saw you with us. You're marked!" He realized. "Well, thanks for that!" The girl exclaimed sarcastically. Avry frowned,"We're sorry for the trouble we caused." She told the girl gently, but Finn rolled his eyes. "I'm the one who got chased down with a stick! Does anyone have blaster around here?" The ex-stormrooper asked, looking around.

His eyes settled on Avry's blaster and she shook her head. "Don't even think about it." She warned him. The scavenger leaned down next to BB-8,"Are you okay?" She asked. Finn then quieted them both down with a loud 'shh'. Avry tensed, and Finn looked at her. "You sense it, don't you?" He furrowed his brows. It was the same thing back on the TIE fighter when she knew the missiles were there before Poe even detected them.

Finn grabbed the girl's hand, clearly alarmed. "Stop taking my hand!" The brunette exclaimed, but the four of them ran out of the tent just in time with a large blast from a TIE fighter to send them flying. Avry hit the ground roughly but it was nothing she couldn't shake off. The girl scrambled to her feet in concern, looking over to an unconscious Finn who laid next to Avry.

"Hey!" She said, and Finn woke up slowly. Despite what happened to him, he looked at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked with worry. She furrowed her brows, a little touched but the simple question. She nodded her head, offering her hand to him and pulling him up. "Follow me." She told him. The girl moved over and helped Avry up as well.

The four of them took off running into the space port. Finn whipped his head back. "We can't outrun them!" He called back. "That's why we need a ship!" Avry said, stopping in her tracks at the sight of a certain familiar ship. "We might in that quad-jumper!" The girl pointed ahead to a ship. "We need a pilot!" Finn pointed out. "We've got one!" She called back, referring to herself. "You?" Finn asked in surprised. His eyes trailed off to a nearer ship.

"What about that ship?" Finn asked, immediately stopping at the sight of Avry running full speed ahead straight towards the ship he referred to. Maybe Finn had great taste in ships after all. "That one's garbage!" She replied, and his heart sank a little. However he was still watching Avry as she began to board the ship. Suddenly a TIE fighter exploded the ship the scavenger had been running too, and she stooped. "The garbage will do!" She turned back immediately.

Finn and her ran to the direction of the Millennium Falcon, joining Avry on the ship. "Finn, take the gunner!" Avry instructed, immediately running to the direction of the control panel. The girl pointed to Finn where the gunner position was. "Gunner position's down there." She told him, running after Avry.

The two girls made their way to the pilot seats, and Finn climbed down. "You two ever fly this thing?!" He called over to them. "No! This ship hasn't been flown in years!" She called back. Avry smiled at the ship,"Don't worry, she still has it." She assured the girl besides her. The girl nodded, taking a deep breath. "I can do this... I can do this." The girl said, and Avry nodded her head. "Yes, you can. Now let's go!" She urged.

The ship began to start as the scavenger fired it up. Avry warmed herself in Chewie's old co-pilot seat, making herself at home with the controls. "Whoa! Stay low! Stay low!" Finn called the gunner position. Avry furrowed her brows, but immediately listened to him. "What?" The girl asked. "Stay low! It confuses their tracking." He told them. She looked to Avry, who just nodded her head. If anyone knew their ships, Finn did.

Though obviously she didn't know this yet.

Avry used the co-pilot controls to lower them, waiting for the girl's signal. "Hold on, BB-8!" The girl called to a droid who beeped frantically. She turned to Avry before nodding her head. The two worked well together as pilots, and maybe it was because Avry knew of the girl's potential. "I'm going low!" She yelled, and with that Avry pressed the controls as the ship began to screech until it flew not far up from the sand.

"What are you doing back there? Are you ever going to fire back?" The girl called down to Finn. "I'm working on it! Are the shields up yet?" He called. Avry flipped the switch for the shields. "They're up!" She called down. The girl smiled with a firm nod. Finn began to shoot at upcoming TIE fighters, but the ships dodged his attacks. "We need cover, quick!" The man warned the two girls. The scavenger seemed to get an idea. "We're going to get some!" She called, hesitating for a moment. "I hope." She mumbled.

Avery raised her brows immediately. "You hope?" Avry asked with concern. "I need you to trust me." The girl urged her. She pursed her lips, but she had no choice in this moment. BB-8 seemed to trust her, and she only saw light in this girl. The redhead nodded and put her trust in the other girl.

The ship began to head towards the ship graveyard. Avry studied the surroundings to guess where they were cover. Finn meanwhile continued to shoot the enemy, narrowly missing them at times but eventually he hit and destroyed a TIE fighter. "Nice shot!" The girl called down. The Falcon was now pursued by only one remaining TIE fighter. It hit the ship, and alarms started to blare in the gunner position.

"The cannon's stuck in forward position, I can't move it! You gotta lose 'em!" He called up. Avry scrambled for any idea, surprised at the one that the girl besides her thought of. She turned to look at Avry, and an understanding passed over them. Avry nodded with a smile. "Get ready!" The girl called down to Finn. "Okay!" He called up, but then stared outside the window. "For what?"

The scavenger proceeded to pilot the ship up and into the rear of the ruins of a star destroyer. The TIE fighter followed after them. Finn peered out of the window, his eyes wide. "Are we really doing this?!" He exclaimed. The girl pursed her lips, her hands tight on the yoke. The ship suddenly made a hard turn right out of the destroyer ruin. "Now!" She yelled, and Avry cut the power as the girl flipped the ship so the back faced the front.

Finn saw the TIE fighter immediately, shooting and destroying it. Avry immediately started the engine again, and the ship flipped over and flew away from the ruin. The TIE fighter crashed to the ground in flames. "Whoo!" Finn yelled excitedly, and Avry chuckled from the co-pilot seat. She looked to the pilot on her left. "Good job." She told her.

Once the Falcon had left Jakku to outer space, the girl quickly got out of her seat and ran past BB-8 to address Finn. Avry stood up and followed the younger girl. Finn climbed out of the gunner position and the three of them met with excitement on their faces. The two didn't hesitate to suddenly start talking at the same time, and Avry only laughed, raising her hands to silence them a little. "I think we can all agree that you both did a good job. But we still need to get BB-8 to the Resistance." Avry pointed out.

BB-8 rolled over, urgently beeping while looking at Finn. The girl seemed confused, and Finn frowned. He wondered if the droid saw through his lie. "You're okay. They're with the Resistance. They're going to get you home. Me too." The girl smiled softly, and the droid beeped doubtfully at Finn before rolling over to Avry. "He's a good guy, BB-8." She whispered to him in a low breath. The girl turned to Finn and Avry. "I don't know your names." She realized.

"Finn." He said, looking over to Avry. "Avry." She said lightly,"What's yours?" She asked. The scavenger looked at them both with a warm smile. "Rey," She replied. Finn suddenly felt bad for a moment when he realized he lied to the girl, and Avry could tell just by looking at him.

Suddenly however pipes bursted from across the ship as steam fled out. "Help me with this, quick!" Rey yelled, rushing over to the grating to see where the problem laid. Finn helped her take off the grating. "What's going on?" He asked in confusion. "The motivator." Avry replied, surprised she still remembered the aspects of a ship after so many years. Rey nodded, reaching out her hand. "Pass me a Harris wrench." She asked.

Avry grabbed the wrench, leaving over and handing it to the girl. "How bad is it?" Finn asked them both. "If we wanna live, not good." Rey explained quickly. "They're hunting for us now, we gotta get out of this system!" Finn pleaded. "BB-8 said the location of the Resistance Base is 'need to know', so if I'm taking you there, _I need to know!_ " Rey told him. Finn immediately paused, turning to look at Avry. The woman raised a brow at him, indicating that the truth would be good right about now.

But Finn didn't listen to that.

He immediately whipped his head at the droid. "You gotta tell us where the base is. If not for me than for Avry, please." He begged. The droid beeped with suspicion, and Finn rolled his eyes. "Alright, between us, I'm not with the Resistance, okay?" Finn said honestly, causing BB-8 to back up in fear. Finn turned to Avry,"Wait, don't you know where it is?" He asked her. Avry shook her head,"I'm not Resistance, not really. It's a long story, actually– BB-8, can you just please tell Rey where it is." She asked. BB-8 was still silent, looking between the two of them multiple times, unsure of what he should do.

"Droid, please!" Finn urged quietly.

The droid beeped in response, and Finn looked to Avry. "He said yes, right? I don't- I don't speak their language." He said. Rey popped up,"Pilex driver, hurry!" She told Avry who went and got the tool for her immediately. Finn didn't even know what that was anyway. "So where's your base?" She asked. Finn looked to the droid,"Go on, BB-8, tell her... _please_." He begged. Avry sent the droid a small look, and BB-8 beeped the response to Rey.

"The Ileenium system?" She asked, and Finn nodded in surprised that the droid complied. "Yeah, the Ileenium system, that's the one. Get us there as fast as you can." He urged the brunette, and Rey considered it for a moment before ducking down again. Finn looked over and gave BB-8 a thumbs up. The droid extended his lighter and turned it upward. Rey popped her head up again,"I'll drop you two at Ponemah Terminal. I need the bonding tape, hurry!" She urged Avry.

She reached over and grabbed the tape and handed it to her, her blue eyes searching the younger girl. "You're not coming with us." Avry whispered. Finn whipped his head around as Rey lowered her head. "I have to get back to Jakku." She explained, disappearing below. Finn seemed to loose his mind at that. "BACK TO JAK-?!" He grunted, looking to Avry. "Why does everyone always wanna go back to Jakku?!" He asked her in a huff.

"Hey, Rey. You're a pilot. You can fly anywhere! Why go back? You got a family? You got a boyfriend? Cute boyfriend?" Finn asked, suddenly a little insecure. Avry gave him a weird look, recognizing that ramble of words. He liked her.

The steam and alarm stopped, and Rey popped up her head. "None of your business, that's why!" She defended.

Suddenly the Falcon's power went out. BB-8 beeped with concern, spinning his head around. "This can't be good." Finn whispered, and Rey nodded her head and climbed up onto the floor. "No, it can't be." Rey replied, standing up. She moved to the cockpit and plopped into the pilot seat. Avry quickly followed, studying the dead panel. "Someone's locked onto us. All controls are overridden." Rey said, looking to Avry with concern.

"Let me see if I can bypass it." Avry said, sitting down in the co-pilot seat. Finn moved past her, looking above them with wide eyes. "Oh no." He whispered, looking down at the two. "It's the First Order." He told them. Avry furrowed her brows, she didn't sense their presence here. It couldn't be them. "What do we do- there must be _something_..." Rey began.

Finn immediately got an idea,"You said poisonous gas." He looked at Rey. She blinked, remembering what she repaired. "Yeah, but I fixed that-" Rey said. "Can you unfix it?" He asked. Rey blinked for a moment, still confused until she clued in. "Come on, Avry." She instructed, moving with Finn to the lounge. "Wait- I think I can get back the controls. Just give me a moment!" She pleaded. Finn shook his head,"No time, stay here and keep your blaster close!" He called.

Rey ran over to the grating, grabbing the gas masks in the lounge. Finn grabbed one, running back to the cockpit. "Here." He gave it to Avry, running back. Avry used the force to bring her blaster to her side, placing on the mask. She went back to working on the controls.

Suddenly her movements slowed as the ship got nearer. She was right. This wasn't the First Order. Avry smiled, jumping up from the co-pilot chair. She threw off the gas mask. She hadn't been afraid at the sight of the ship. She should've knew it right away. The doors of the Falcon opened, revealing a tall wookiee and a man. They held their weapons ready, but didn't see anyone.

Han Solo smiled as he took in the familiar air of the ship. "Chewie, we're home." He said with a smile. "Han!" A young woman exclaimed as she turned the corner. Han blinked as a rush of auburn curls ran straight into him. Avry hugged him tightly. "Whoa, kiddo. Aren't you supposed to be farming your days away?" Han asked, pulling back for a moment.

She was all grown up. Han hadn't seen her for so long, he had almost forgot. It tugged on something in his heart, something that reminded him of his son. He never really got a chance to raise him, but he was able to help out Avry. He hoped at least that made up for what happened.

"I'm going to have to stop calling you kiddo." Han realized, smoothing down her hair. He turned to Chewie and gave him a nod to check the ship. "You here alone?" He asked. Avry blinked and immediately shook her head. She ran to the lounge to see Chewie lifting the grating from the floor. "Stop!" She urged, looking down at Rey and Finn who studied her in confusion.

Han appeared besides her with his blaster. "You the pilot?" He asked Avry. Avry shook her head with a smile and pointed to Rey. "I'm the co-pilot. She's the pilot." She told him. Han raised his brows,"You?" He asked her. Rey nodded her head as Avry helped her out. Chewie moaned in his native tongue, and Rey smiled and looked at Avry.

"He knows you?" She asked. The woman nodded, reaching over and helping Finn out. "You can understand that thing?" He asked Rey. Chewie grunted in response and Han frowned. "And 'that thing' can understand you too. Where you'd get this ship?" He asked.

Rey shrugged simply,"Niima Outpost." She answered. "Jakku?! That junkyard?!" He exclaimed. Finn smiled in relief at the sign of a sane person at last. "Thank you! Junkyard." He repeated, looking to Avry who only shook her head. Han looked back at the wookiee. "Told ya we should've double-checked the Western Reaches!" He said.

He turned to Rey,"Who had it, Ducain?" He asked. Rey shook her head. "I stole it from Unkar Plutt. He stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain." She explained. Han frowned,"Who stole it from me!" The man exclaimed,"Well, tell him Han Solo just stole back the Millennium Falcon for good."

Rey suddenly seemed to be in awe, watching Han with excitement. "This is the Millennium Falcon? You're Han Solo?" She asked. Han paused, looking back to Avry. They shared a look, each knowing what the other felt. "I used to be." He replied.

Finn looked at Avry,"Han Solo? The Rebellion General? You know him, Avry?" He questioned. Han raised a brow at the use of the woman's real name. She had been living under Caddesca's name for so long, it came as a surprise to him after all this time. "No, the smuggler!" Rey corrected. Finn furrowed his brows, looking to Chewie. "Wasn't he a war hero?!"

The wookiee shrugged, replying with an 'I guess'. Rey looked around impressed,"This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs!" She said with a smile. "Twelve!" Avry and Han both corrected her, sharing a small smile. Han rolled his eyes,"Fourteen..." He mumbled underneath his breath, moving to the cockpit.

Walking into his old cockpit, he smiled at the sight of the pilot's seat. Han however frowned when he noticed something. "Hey! Some mood-milker put a compressor on the ignition line!" He exclaimed. Rey frowned, following him in with the others.

"Unkar Plutt did. I thought it was a mistake too, puts too much stress on the hyperdrive." She said, Han overlapping her at the end. He looked to her, his eyes studying her for a moment. Avry met his eyes as he turned his head. "She reminds me too much of you at that age." He leaned in and whispered to her. Avry smiled, but Han rolled his eyes.

"Chewie, throw 'em in a pod. We'll drop them at the nearest inhabited planet. Avry, feel free to stay if you're done with your farming days. I could always use your help again." Han offered, but she only looked down. Rey frowned,"Wait! No, we need your help." She told Han.

He furrowed his brows at the young girl. "My help?" He asked. "This droid has to get to the Resistance base as soon as possible!" Rey explained, and BB-8 beeped innocently and rolled over. "He's carrying a map to Luke Skywalker." Finn informed Han.

The old smuggler froze, looking back to Avry. Avry could hardly meet his eyes. He could only guess what she was thinking. Finn studied him,"You are the Han Solo that fought with the Rebellion. You knew him." He said.

It really struck a chord in Han, and he looked at Finn before looking to Avry. She finally met his eyes and nodded her head slowly. "It's okay. They already know my name." She told him gently. Finn and Rey looked confused at the exchange. "Yeah, I knew him. I knew Luke... and Avry did too." Han answered, looking back to Finn.

* * *

Back on the Starkiller Base, Lieutenant Mitaka was ordered to give some bad news. He held his breath as he approached the dark lord. Why did General Hux had to send him to do this? Was it because he dropped the general's coffee all over his jacket this morning?

"Sir, we were unable to acquire the droid on Jakku." Mitaka told him with a heavy heart, watching as the masked man turned to look on him. Kylo Ren said nothing, which was questionable worse for the lieutenant. "It escaped capture aboard a stolen Corellian YT model freighter." The lieutenant explained. "The droid... stole a freighter?" Ren asked.

The lieutenant shook his head. "Not exactly, sir. It had help." Mitaka informed him, clearly began to sweat as the commander continued to say nothing. "We have no confirmation, but we believe FN-2187 may have been helped in the escape-" He was suddenly cut off when Ren ignited his lightersaber.

Kylo Ren tore through the console with each violent slash of anger from his saber. Mitaka could hardly watch with a steady stomach. The commander let out his anger, severely damaging the wall in front of him. Kylo Ren eventually shut off his lightsaber after his temper tantrum and looked behind.

"Anything else?" He asked calmly, a little out of breath. Mitaka frowned a little,"The two were accompanied by two girls, sir." He said simply, but suddenly the lieutenant was violently pulled forward closer to Kylo Ren. "What girls?" He questioned. Mitaka closed his eyes, not liking being this close to someone who could so easily kill him out of anger. "A girl with brown hair... and that woman who helped the Resistance pilot. The one with the auburn hair."

Mitaka was suddenly thrown against the wall as Kylo Ren moved past him, storming out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N: I would just like to say during the whole Finn is like "I'm with the Resistance" stuff, Avry is just staring at him while the song 'Why You Always Lying' is totally playing like in her head or the background just saying.**


	4. An Incomplete Map

"You knew Luke Skywalker?" Rey and Finn spoke in exact unison, whipping their heads around to look at Avry with utter surprise and shock. While Rey looked impressed, she could see the anger in Finn. She lowered her head,"I doubt now's really the time to get into detail–" Avry was suddenly cut off by a loud metallic crash coming from Han's ship.

Han groaned, a little annoyed before shaking his head and looking to Chewie. "Don't tell me a Rathtar's gotten loose–" The man grumbled, quickly moving out. They all followed behind him except Finn who grabbed Avry's arm. "Before I addressed that... Luke Skywalker? And you..." He trailed off, not knowing which needed more concern right now. The carnivorous monster on board or the secretive girl he was looking at.

Avry averted his eyes, mostly because he was staring at her in a way that made her guilty. She should feel guilty. She lied... and Finn was probably catching on to what her lying led to. "Poe." He began, and the minute he said his name she nodded her head. "Yes, I lied to Poe too. But only at first... I... he thought I was someone else. A simple farmer from Dantooine. I lied, Finn. Is that what you want to hear?" She asked.

Finn frowned, finally looking away from her. "No. I want to hear you say it." He whispered. Avry raised her brows in surprise,"Say what?" The girl asked, suddenly confused over what he meant. "I want you to say you led Poe to his death!" Finn exclaimed.

His outburst shocked her, mostly because she didn't expect him to be angry with her. Avry frowned and looked towards him. "I've led a lot of people to their death. You're going to have to be more specific." She whispered. "On Jakku! You said you went there with him... and he got captured. But you can clearly handle yourself with a blaster. You weren't captured... you snuck on board... which means... you let him get tortured. You let him die. You called him your friend." Finn pointed out.

"I went back for him!" Avry snapped in her defense. Finn only frowned at her,"Then why isn't he here with us?" He asked. She stared him down for only a moment, before breaking and shaking her head. "You never stopped to think it's because you wanted to run away? Leave Jakku? You argued with him and the ship was hit... did you ever think about that?" She said.

"You lied about who you are!" Finn pointed out. "So did you!" Avry yelled back at him. BB-8 suddenly rolled into the Falcon, and beeped with worry at the two that were fighting. Avry looked at the droid before looking back at Finn, noticing she had hurt him. She decided to drop it and instead turned to the droid.

He had every right to lie. He was a stormtrooper, which was not exactly the past she was trying to hide. She came from people dedicated to keeping the peace of the galaxy. He came from people trying to destroy it. He has reason for shame. She had none.

BB-8 led the two of them out of the ship, revealing the hangar of the giant freighter Han owned. "New ride?" Avry asked, looking over to the smuggler. Han shrugged his shoulders simply, like it was nothing to have a ship of this size. Finn caught up to Han,"You're not hauling Rathtars on this freighter, are you?" The man questioned. Han looked at him,"I'm hauling Rathtars." He admitted.

"Well, that's a genius idea." Avry admitted with a small tone of sarcasm. It made Han roll his eyes, but Finn only frowned at her. He was mad, and she could tell.

Han made his way to the control panel, watching on a screen the cameras that showed his ship. An image showed a transport ship landing on the freighter, and Avry moved closer. "Oh great." Han mumbled. "Is that–" Avry questioned, but was cut off by Han who gave her a look with a small nod.

"It's the Guavian Death Gang. They must've tracked us from Nantoon." He shook his head, moving from the control panel. Rey looked to Finn,"What's a Rathtar?" She asked him. Han began to led the group down a narrow hall. "They're big and dangerous." Han briefly informed, but Finn and Avry knew that was clearly an understatement.

Finn looked to Rey,"You've never heard of the Trillia Massacre?" He asked her. The brunette shook her head, clearly in confusion. "No." She replied. Finn nodded his head nervously,"Good." He said. The less she knew, probably the better. They turned a corner, and Han looked back at Avry. "I got three of 'em going to King Prana." He explained to the girl.

"King Prana? He's not worth it." Avry pointed out, but Finn seemed absolutely shocked at the number of Rathtars on board. "Three?!" The boy nearly jumped,"How'd you get them on board?" He questioned. "I used to have a bigger crew." Han said, frowning a little. Chewie moaned a response, and Avry looked at him. "I'm sure glad I left your crew when I did then." She mumbled.

Han stopped suddenly, and opened up a hatch. "Get below deck and stay there until I say so. And don't even think about taking the Falcon." He warned, looking to Rey who simply shrugged innocently. Avry could tell she had half a mind too, but Avry wondered if she would do it. "What about BB-8?" Rey questioned the smuggler, and he looked to the droid. Insurance.

"He stays with me until I get rid of the gang, then you can have him back and be on your way." He explained, looking to Avry. "Your co-pilot too." He added. Rey frowned a little, looking to Avry. Avry gave her a small nod of insurance. Rey knew that she would look out for the droid.

Finn looked around the freight,"What about the Rathtars? Where are you keeping them?" He asked carefully, when suddenly a huge bang made the group jump a little. A rathtar tongue wiped the window of the cargo container, nearly stopping the heart in Finn. He would've fainted if there wasn't an audience. He didn't need that tall fuzzball talking smack about him in a language he didn't even understand.

"There's one." Han pointed out, smiling a little at the boy's unrest. "What are you gonna do?" Rey asked, looking to Han. Avry sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Same thing I always do: talk my way out of it." He said proudly, almost smugly.

Chewie moaned in protest of the statement and the smuggler whipped his head around to his companion. "Yes, I do. Every time." He defended. Avry raised a brow,"What about that time with Jabba the Hutt?" She asked him. Han frowned a little,"I really do regret telling you that story." He said. Avry chuckled a little,"You're not the one who told me that story." She reminded him.

The smuggler was suddenly reminded of the woman he loved, and he lowered his head for a moment. He missed her.

Rey and Finn climbed down, sealing the hatch. BB-8 rolled closely behind Avry, and she quickly shushed his beepings as a door whooshed open. The Guavian Death Gang entered, led by one man in a suit. Their leader, Bala-Tik. Five gang members in helmets followed behind him, stopping at the end of the corridor.

There was quite some distance between them and Han, Chewie, BB-8 and Avry, but the girl didn't trust that for a moment. They all had blasters. This wasn't just a friendly visit. Bala-Tik studied Han with disdain written on his face. "Han Solo. You are a dead man." He called over.

Han smiled innocently, but that didn't stop from the droid besides him to nervously look back at the smuggler. BB-8 hoped he knew what he was doing. But if you were Chewie or Avry, you knew better.

"Bala-Tik. What's the problem?" Han asked casually, but the man across from him just rolled his eyes. "The problem is we loaned you fifty thousand for this job." The man said, and Avry's eyes widened. She looked to the smuggler besides him and slapped his arm. "Han Solo! Fifty thousand? Fifty?!" She exclaimed.

No wonder the Guavian Death Gang wanted him dead.

The old man besides her turned his head, frowning at her. "Yes, fifty. Now stay out of this." He warned her gently. Avry rolled her eyes. "We both know I was better at this than you." She pointed out. Bala-Tik narrowed his eyes, for some reason recognizing the girl.

"Caddy Racca?" Bala-Tik questioned and Avry froze on the spot. She didn't know anyone would recognize her after so long. She must admit she didn't look all that different, but she was a teenager when she was a smuggler. "Oh, this is fun. A little reunion? We must admit, we thought you died. But... my, what a fine specimen you've grown into." Bala-Tik stared at her only in a way that would be met with pure disgust from Avry.

Han didn't seem too happy about it either. "Don't you dare look at her like that." He warned, his fatherly instincts kicking in. Bala-Tik only chuckled and shook his head. "A valiant protector now are you? You're a smuggler, Han. You should do what you're good at. But clearly, you just like cheating people out of their money. I heard you also borrowed fifty thousand from Kanjiklub." He told him with a smirk.

Avry looked at Han with a raised brow. "One hundred thousand? One hundred thousand, Han?!" She asked him. Han quickly cleared his throat, looking to Bala-Tik. "You can't trust those little freaks. How long've we known each other? Way back to Caddy, Bala-Tik. Come on–" Han was suddenly cut off by the dirty look given to him.

"The question is how much longer will we know each other? Not long. we want our money back now." Bala-Tik threatened. Han frowned a little, knowing he had no choice. "You think hunting Rathtars is cheap? I spent that money." He explained, but the gang leader didn't seem to showing any mercy.

Bala-Tik frowned,"Kanjiklub wants their investment back too." He pointed out. Han struggled to come up with a response,"I never made a deal with Kanjiklub!" He protested. Something changed in the air, and Avry looked behind her. Han looked at her, confused before he clued in. Bala-Tik smiled a little, seeming to enjoy this.

"Tell that to Kanjiklub." Bala-Tik said. Han studied Avry for a moment. "Tell me it's not true." He practically begged. The girl shook her head,"I'm sorry. I sense them." She whispered. The door behind them whooshed open, and Han's face went white at the sight where Kanjiklub stood.

Han smiled a little uncomfortably, studying their leader, Tasu Leech. "Tasu Leech. Good to see you." He said nervously. Avry frowned at him, noticing he was panicking. Tasu narrowed his eyes. "Wrong again, Solo. It's over for you." The man spoke in an alien language.

Tasu Leech raised his weapon, and BB-8 beeped nervously. Avry quickly shushed the droid. Han looked between both gangs. "Boys. You're both gonna get what I promised! Have I ever not delivered for you before?" He said, but everyone knew the obvious answer to that.

"Yeah." Bala-Tik replied. Tasu nodded his head,"Twice!" He yelled in his alien language. Han frowned for a moment, thinking for a moment and looking to Tasu. "What was the second time?" He questioned.

Bala-Tik rolled his eyes, quickly impatient with the smuggler. "Your game is old. There's no one in the galaxy left for you to swindle." He warned. "Nowhere left for you to hide." Tasu added in his language. Avry frowned, looking to Han. "Did you really have to steal their money? They could kill you, Han." She scolded him.

Han's eyes softened. He missed her nagging. "Guess it's just in my nature." Han replied and Avry shook her head. "We both know you're better than this." She told him. Bala-Tik looked away from Han, noticing the droid that accompanied him.

"That BB unit... the First Order is looking for one just like it. And three fugitives..." He trailed off, and the man suddenly locked eyes with Avry. "Caddy? Oh... you've been a bad girl, haven't you?" Bala-Tik asked, noticing how the droid was so close to her.

Han looked to Avry, noticing her fear immediately. He shrugged, looking to Bala-Tik. "First I've heard of it." He casually said. They didn't look convinced by that, and one of Tasu's men ordered to the others to search the freighter. Finn and Rey were hiding right beneath them.

Avry's hand immediately moved to her blaster, when suddenly a sound stopped her heart. Doors opening. She looked below and knew Rey was probably responsible. But this ship was too big. She could've done anything like– Avry looked at Han. The lights began to click off, and the gangs looked around in confusion. "I got a bad feeling about this..." Han muttered, and Avry nodded.

The girl tapped her blaster gently and Han nodded. The lights suddenly switched on again. Bala-Tik was getting worried, looking to his gang members. "Kill them! And take the droid... and the girl." He ordered, smirking at Avry. Avry pulled out her blaster just as fast as the gangs did.

A Rathtar appeared behind the Guavian Death Gang, grabbing two of its members and sending the others screaming and running. The gang fired back at the creature. Han and Chewie whipped their heads around. Another Rathtar appeared behind them. The gangs seemed busy dealing with the months, and Han and Avry shared a look before nodding.

They took off running down the hall, a member of the Kanjiklub in pursuit. Avry quickly shot him down with her blaster as they turned the corner. Another member cut them off, but Han punched him. The man stumbled back towards the Rathtar who was in pursuit.

BB-8 beeped frantically and Avry shushed him again. "It's okay. I'm here to protect you, remember?" She told him. The droid beeped with some assurance. She smiled small, nodding her head as Han and Chewie made their way to the hangar. Of course, they were going to escape in the Falcon.

"Go ahead, I'll cover you." She told Han, who stopped in his tracks. "There are Rathtars loose and two gangs trying to kill me and capture you– I'm not leaving you." He protested. Avry chuckled,"Who said anything about leaving me? Now go while I shoot things." She told him.

Han smiled for a moment, and Avry fired down one of the Guavian Death Gang members as he followed them. Bala-Tik stepped over his dead body, frowning and aiming his blaster at Avry. Avry took cover around a corner as Han and Chewie made it off with the droid.

"Honestly, Caddy, it doesn't have to be like this!" Bala-Tik yelled at her. The girl rolled her eyes. "Me trying to kill you? Yes it does." She shot at the man, but he dodged, hiding behind the corner across from her. "I mean, you could switch sides." He pointed out.

Avry frowned a little, obviously considering the possibility. Not side with this gang leader, but the side he represented was the dark side. There were often times as of late where Avry completely forget the jedi she was. All she held was anger, sadness, and pain. She could play the simple farm girl back on Dantooine, but it didn't help her heal. Not mentally.

The girl shook her head however,"I already know where my loyalties lie, Bala-Tik. And they don't lie with you." She fired her blaster multiple times, enough to sneak away. Avry could think about it all she wanted, but she would never do it.

She caught up with Han and Chewie and BB-8. Gang members caught up wit them, and Han shot his blaster at them. Han looked back, smiling at the sight of Avry. He looked to his co-pilot. "I got the door. Cover us!" He told them.

Chewie moaned in agreement, firing down at the hall as Han made his way to the controls with BB-8. Avry took down a couple of Kanjiklub members. The hatch opened behind them just as Chewie was hit in the shoulder by one of the gang members.

"Chewie!" Avry exclaimed, watching as the tall wookiee went down with a loud groan. "Chewie, are you okay?" Han rushed to the wookie's side, glaring at the gang members across from them. Han grabbed the wookiee's bowcaster and fired at the door's controls, closing it in the process. He looked down at the bow in surprise. "Wow... come on! Come on!" He urged the droid and Avry as he helped Chewie up.

Rey and Finn ran into the hangar, noticing as Han helped a wounded wookiee onto the ramp of the Millennium Falcon. Avry turned and noticed them,"Rey!" She yelled in surprise, grateful that the two made it out alive. Rey smiled,"Avry!" She called, running towards them. Finn quickly joined them.

"You, close the door behind us!" Han urged Rey, and looked to Finn. "You take care of Chewie." He ordered. The man handed over the wounded wookiee to Finn. Chewie screamed in pain and Finn was suddenly filled with fear at the idea of treating this wounded thing.

The smuggler ran to the cockpit of the ship with Rey following behind him once the doors were closed. Avry proceeded to help Finn with Chewie. The two struggled to get the tall wookiee to lay down.

Rey moved to the co-pilot chair, and Han furrowed his brows. "Hey, where are you going? Where's Avry?" He questioned. The scavenger sat down,"Helping Finn. Besides Unkar Plutt installed a fuel pump too, if we don't prime that we're not going anywhere." She told him.

Han huffed,"I hate that guy." He mumbled, sitting in the pilot's seat. Rey studied him, smiling for a moment. "And you could use a co-pilot." She told him. The man rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't if a nagging redhead would get in here!" He yelled back.

Avry struggled to control the wookiee who was crying out in pain. "Just shut up and deal with the girl! You know she knows what she's doing!" Avry yelled back. Han grumbled underneath his breath at her response. In honesty he would've liked it to be like old times with her in the co-pilot seat.

"Watch the thrust, we're goin' out of here at lightspeed." Han addressed Rey who raised her brows. "From inside the hangar? Is that even possible?" She asked. Han shrugged his shoulders. "I never ask that question until after I've done it." The smuggler said with a smile on his face.

A Rathtar suddenly jumped onto the windshield, earning a scream out of Rey. Its tongue wiped the glass and Han cringed in disgust. He worked at the controls, shaking his head. "This is not how I thought this day was gonna go. Angle the shields," He told Rey who proceeded to do so. He looked behind him. "Hang on back there!"

Finn searched through a first aid kit just as the ship was hit by blaster fire from the gangs outside. Avry could tell that he was more than just nervous. "No problem!" Finn called back.

Clearly it was a huge problem.

"Come on, baby, don't let me down!" Han pleaded with the ship as he hit a switch. Nothing happened however which sent him into a panic. "What?!" He exclaimed, and Rey simply reached over and hit another switch. "Compressor." She pointed out. Han narrowed his eyes, but sighed when he realized she was right.

The man hit the switch again and the hyperdrive finally kickstarted. The lightspeed blast took care of the attacking gang members. The Rathtar ripped apart like a bug on the windshield as the ship took off. Han smiled, tapping the control board delightfully. "Thank you, baby." He smiled proudly, looking around the Falcon's cockpit.

* * *

Kylo Ren entered the assembly room, almost hanging his head in shame. He had failed the supreme leader, all those years ago and he didn't even notice because he couldn't bear to watch her die. Instead he left her on the floor bleeding out as he took her lightsaber from her, as if that would be proof of her death.

But she had another one. One that they made together. Technically it was theirs, but Kylo Ren didn't hold on to such sentimental things these days. At least that's what he told himself. Her lightsaber was a war trophy to him, but it was only what he convinced himself of.

It was sentiment. Clearly, he had always had some shred of hope she would live. She was the only hope left he had.

The large hologram of the leader appeared immediately at Ren's presence. The man hesitated to remove his mask, knowing he didn't need it with the supreme leader but he felt someone nearing the assembly room. "You called Hux to this meeting?" Kylo Ren asked, frowning immediately.

"We must discuss the issues at hand... but I would like to address you first." Snoke explained. His voice was almost soothing, but deep and powerful none the less. The supreme leader always knew how to sound so convincing of the dark side. "Supreme leader, I will admit I have failed you–" Ren admitted, causing his leader to look at him with disdain.

Snoke was unimpressed with the man and he could tell, so he just averted his eyes for a moment. "I failed you a long time ago." Kylo Ren continued,"When I was a boy. I promised to wipe out the threat of the jedi. I didn't kill Luke and now... it seems I have failed to kill a padawan. Fayar." He explained.

The supreme leader considered this for a moment, remembering the brief mention of the girl. "Fayar? Ah... Avry. The one you wanted to save so much. You begged to spare her..." Snoke remembered. Kylo Ren's eyes grew soft remembering the attachment he held to the girl. "But you wanted me to kill her." He replied in a soft voice, that was hardly understandable with the mask he was wearing.

"Sentiment does not become of you, Kylo Ren." Snoke said, glaring at the masked man. "However... this time I'm willing to be much more _negotiable_." Snoke said, smirking in a devilish delight.

Kylo Ren tensed, utterly shocked at the supreme leader's words. "Negotiable? I–" He was clearly confused, but Snoke dismissed his questioning. "I remember all that you told me of this girl. Originally, she was innocent. Incorruptible innocence, unfortunately. But you've _scarred_ her, haven't you? You've given her a darkness that we can harness. Her power will be much more useful to our cause than one of the Resistance." Snoke said simply, as if it was nothing.

But it meant everything to the masked man facing him. "Avry... joining the dark side?" He asked carefully, to which only Snoke nodded. It suddenly seemed like a simple solution now, maybe even a way to get her back.

His brief happiness was interrupted by a redheaded general entering the room, spoiling everything as per usual. Snoke looked to Hux, taking it as a sign to get down to business. Snoke sat back in his chair, sighing at the sight of the two. They could hardly work together, but the leader hoped it didn't lead to the mess they were in.

"The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance leading them to the last jedi..." The supreme leader trailed off, looking to Kylo Ren who just tensed up. Snoke could tell that he didn't want Hux to know about Avry. It was simply clear that the past flame would only make Ren look weak in the general's eyes. "If Skywalker returns, the new jedi will rise." Snoke finished.

Hux frowned at the supreme leader's disappointment. In a way, he felt like it was his fault for his men's failure to capture the droid. "Supreme Leader, I take full responsibility for th–" He began, but Snoke cut him off firmly. "General!" Snoke snapped, shutting the man up immediately. "Our strategy must now change." Snoke gave Hux a knowing look after he spoke and the general understood immediately.

It was what the Starkiller Base was created to do.

"The weapon." Hux nodded his head,"It is ready. I believe the time has come to use it. We shall destroy the government that supports the Resistance: the Republic. Without their friends to protect them, the Resistance will be vulnerable, and we will stop them before they reach Skywalker." He suggested.

Snoke considered this for a moment. Destroying the Republic meant the Resistance wouldn't no longer have protection in those system, lowering their forces. It'd be a great win for the First Order. "Go. Oversee preparations." Snoke ordered. "Yes, Supreme Leader." Hux almost smirked a little. The supreme leader wouldn't be let down by him again. He turned on his heel, giving Kylo Ren a look before walking out.

Silence fell over the room as the supreme leader relaxed back into his chair. He hardly looked in Kylo Ren's direction before he sighed and turned his head. "There's been awakening. Have you felt it?" Snoke asked him curiously.

Ren considered this for a moment before replying. "Yes." He answered. "There's something more." Snoke told him, almost gently. It made Kylo Ren worry a little about what he had to say. "The droid we seek is aboard the Millennium Falcon. Not only with Avry... but in the hands of your father, Han Solo." Snoke finished.

The man across from the supreme leader tensed, and for a moment Kylo Ren vanished with the surprise of hearing that name. For just a moment, Ben Solo thought of his father. Snoke could sense his vulnerability immediately, so Kylo Ren just straightened up. He couldn't be weak about this. "He means nothing to me." Ren replied, his voice more cold than the mask usually made it to be.

"Even you, master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test." Snoke told him, studying to see if him to see if he faltered anymore. "By the grace of your training, I will not be seduced." Kylo Ren seemed to convince himself with that, and the supreme leader gave him a short nod. "We shall see. We shall see." Snoke simply said, leading the masked man to abruptly leave the room.

Snoke began to smile, viciously almost. The hologram of the supreme leader then vanished from the room.

* * *

Back on the Millennium Falcon, chaos erupted with a loud yell from a wookiee.

Alarms started sounding and sparks flew as Han sat worried in the pilot's chair. "Electrical overload." He informed his co-pilot. Rey's face lit up as she realized she knew how to deal with that. "I can fix that." She assured Han. He nodded, pressing a couple of buttons. "The coolant's leaking." He realized. Rey thought for a moment,"Try transferring auxiliary power to the secondary tank." She instructed. The man immediately moved over, manning the controls for the tank. "Secondary tank, I got it."

Back in the lounge, Chewie continued to howl in pain as Avry handed Finn a bandage. The man proceeded to try and wrap the wookiee's wound, but Chewie only roared and scared a little white and orange droid out of the lounge. "Chewie, come on!" Finn exclaimed, looking back to Avry. "I need help with this giant hairy thing." He begged her. Avry got up and went over to help, but before she could make it over Chewie kicked his legs in defiance.

"Stop moving, Chewie!" Finn urged the wookiee. Back in the cockpit, Han scowled at what he was hearing. "You hurt Chewie, you're gonna deal with me!" He threatened. Finn continued to struggle to hold Chewie down. "Hurt him?!" Finn's brows went up in surprise. "He almost killed me six times!" He called over, even if it was an exaggeration.

Chewie grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, roaring in his face. Finn gulped, and nervously smiled. "Which is fine." He told the wookiee. Avry chuckled, moving over and touching Chewie gently. "It's okay." She told him, looking at Finn. "Allow me." She extended her hand and Finn handed over the bandage.

He leaned back and watched Avry patch the wookiee up with care, and suddenly he thought about their previous conversation. Avry sensed that immediately, turning her head. "It's fine." She said gently. Finn furrowed his brows, wondering if she could almost hear his thoughts. "Is it?" Finn asked.

Avry nodded her head a little, looking back. Her blue eyes met his and he now felt bad about confronting her earlier. She had known Poe longer than he did, even if it wasn't by much. "I'm sorry." Finn said. Avry shook her head quickly, finishing bandaging up Chewie. "Please don't apologize... I had no right to be angry with you. But you have with me. It's fine." She repeated.

Back in the cockpit, Han nervously checked the ship's stats. "This hyperdrive blows there's gonna be pieces of us in this different systems." He informed Rey who had went to manage a control panel. Suddenly the alarms all stopped and he looked confused as she went to sit back down. "What'd you do?" He asked.

Rey smiled,"I by-passed the compressor." She explained. Han had half the mind to thank her, but suddenly the droid rolled into the entrance of the cockpit, beeping. Han stood up, moving to the entrance. "Move, ball." He addressed the droid, who beeped a response, making the man smile a little at the droid's quip.

Han entered the lounge, moving over to Chewie immediately who was laying down. Han checked the bandage wound as Chewie moaned a response. Han smiled a little,"Nah, don't say that. You did great. Just rest." He assured the wookiee, gently patting Chewie's good shoulder.

The smuggler turned to Avry, mouthing a 'thank you'. She then nodded her head to Finn, even if she had finished the job he deserved some credit. Han looked to Finn, and smiled a little. "Good job, kid. And thanks." He told him, almost surprising Finn. Finn had grown up learning about this man as an enemy, but now he was in this legendary ship earning Han Solo's thanks.

"You're welcome." Finn nodded his head, accidentally hitting a button on the chess set he was sitting next to. The pieces appeared, and Finn studied it curiously as the pieces began to fight.

Han studied the three other humans in the room, almost chuckling. "So, fugitives, huh?" He asked, wanting an explanation. Rey shrugged a little. "The First Order wants the map." She simply pointed out. Her eyes trailed to Finn,"Finn is with the Resistance... I'm just a scavenger." Rey explained.

Finn finally managed to turn off the chess board, and Han gave the man a skeptical look. Han rolled his eyes, moving to the droid. "Let's see whatcha got." He instructed the droid, but BB-8 only looked to Avry. "Go ahead." Rey said, but waited to see a small nod from the redhead he was besides. He wanted to make sure both of them agreed before he showed the smuggler what his master died for.

BB-8 rolled forward, projecting the holographic map which filled the room. Chewie sat to look up, and all of them watched the map with surprise. Han furrowed his brows for a moment. "This map's not complete." He realized. He turned to look at Avry.

After all this time, the smuggler wondered if she ever bothered to look at the map. When he met her eyes, he could tell this was the first time she was seeing the map. Something that had been in with her since Luke had left, it was really the last thing she had of him. But Avry gave it away to Lor San Tekka, and Han could still tell she wanted little to do with it.

Han looked back to the map, sighing. "It's just a piece. Ever since Luke disappeared, people have been looking for him..." He explained to Finn and Rey, thinking about how disappointed his wife was going to be to see the incomplete map once the Resistance got this.

"Why'd he leave?" Rey asked in curiosity. Han frowned a little, looking to Avry. "He was training a new generation of jedi. One boy... an apprentice turned against him. Destroyed it all. Well... almost all of it." Han told them, still looking at Avry who simply looked down. Finn looked to Avry, suddenly piecing everything together. "Luke felt responsible... he... walked away from everything." Han finished.

Finn studied Avry, and feeling the man's eyes on her she turned her head. "Almost... almost all of it? You–" Finn began, and Avry just nodded her head. "Luke walked away from everything. He walked away from me. He... he only left me this." She explained, looking to the map. "Do you know what happened to him?" Finn asked. Avry shook her head gently, not liking the subject of her old master.

"There's a lot of rumors." Han pointed out. "Stories. The people who knew him best think he went looking for the first jedi temple." Rey furrowed her brows, looking to Avry then back to Han. "The jedi were real?" She asked them. Han smiled small,"I used to wonder that myself. Thought it was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Magical power holding together good, evil–? The dark side and the light? Crazy thing is... it's true. The force, the jedi, all of it. It's all true."

Avry looked to her satchel, picking it up. She looked through her things and Han turned to look at her as she pulled out her lightsaber. Finn's eyes went wide a little. "Is that...?" He trailed off. He had heard so many stories about how the Jedi used them, but the only one he's ever seen in person belonged to Kylo Ren.

She nodded her head at Finn, switching on the white lightsaber. "I am a jedi... the last padawan of Luke's new order. I... I should've told you sooner." Avry said, looking to Finn. Rey studied the lightsaber in awe,"Can I... can I hold that?" Rey asked carefully. Avry smiled and nodded, but suddenly an alarmed rang.

"That will have to wait." Han told the two, and Avry switched off her lightsaber, tucking it in her belt across from her blaster. BB-8 cut off the hologram, and Chewie went to stand up but Han urged the wookiee back into his laying position. "No, you rest." He told him.

Han turned back to them. "You want my help? You're getting it. Gonna see an old friend. She'll get your droid home. This is our stop." He informed them. Rey and Finn moved to the cockpit, and Han urged the young girl to get started without him. Avry moved to follow, but the smuggler simply stopped her.

"What?" Avry asked, furrowing her brows. Han studied her for a moment, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I just wanted to see if you were okay... the map... I thought you..." Han began but trailed off when he realized he didn't know how to confront her about it. Avry frowned, moving away from his touch. "I never bothered to. You think I wanted it? Luke gave that map to me when I was dying. He didn't even bother to stick around to see if I lived." She spat out.

The man shook his head, knowing Avry was mad at him for leaving, but he didn't want to think the worst of his old friend. "Avry–" Han began but she shook her head. "No. No! You don't get to do that." She pointed at him and Han raised a brow. "Don't get to do what?" He asked her. "Care. Treat me like this... you're not my father, Han Solo. You never will be!" She exclaimed at him.

Even if she was really angry at Luke, that struck a nerve in Han. He looked down for a moment, thinking about what she said before looking up at her. "Somebody has to be." He told her firmly. Avry furrowed her brows, her eyes softening. "What?" She asked, not expecting that answer from him. "Somebody has to be." Han repeated.

Avry shook her head, looking away but Han grabbed her shoulder gently. "Caddesca died, Avry. Luke... he left you. Who was going to take care of you? I looked after you. I never abandoned you. I let you leave and made sure you were okay. I have always been looking out for you." He pointed out.

"You didn't have to!" Avry snapped. "Because of Ben? You didn't have to..." She trailed off, a tear slipping down her cheek. Han pulled the girl immediately into a hug, smoothing down her auburn hair. "Avry, I _wanted_ to. Not because of Ben... but because I know what it's like to be left in this world. My parents died and I... I became a smuggler to survive. I didn't want that life for you." Han said gently.

She chuckled a little bit, pulling back from the hug to look up at him. "I became a smuggler." She pointed out. Han smirked a little,"But you had someone to look out for you. Someone to parent you. And I did... but you left." He pointed out. Avry frowned,"You know why." She whispered.

"Sometimes I really don't." Han pointed out. Avry moved away from him,"You do. It's the same reason you never go back to Leia." Avry said gently, but Han only frowned. A heavy silence fell between them, and was broken only by a wookiee. Han looked back to Chewie. "I know, fuzzball." He said, looking back at Avry. Her face fell at the look he gave her, and Avry realized she was wrong to mention Leia.

* * *

 **A/N: Alternate title to this chapter was "Avry Manages To Piss Everyone Off". And sorry this chapter took so long, but I had a dance performance yesterday and it was a very busy week.**


	5. The Rise of a Jedi

The Falcon dropped out of lightspeed, entering the world of Takodana. It was a beautiful planet, with a scenery of green trees and a shimmering lake in the distance. Han sat with Rey in the pilot seats, not looking back to Avry as she entered the cockpit. She still felt bad about what she said, and locked eyes with Finn.

Somehow in less than twenty-four hours she had managed to piss off half the people in the ship with her big mouth. Avry knew she wasn't always that way. She was always stubborn, but she never hurt people because she was hurt herself. That was a dark side kind of thing to do.

BB-8 beeped happily at the sight of Avry, and she smiled small. At least the droid wasn't mad at her. "We're almost there." She informed him. Her blue eyes turned to scan the window, noticing Rey. Rey watched the scenery, her eyes softening.

"I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy..." She mumbled. Han was surprised at her comment, but turned his head to look at her. For a moment, he was reminded of Luke.

A castle soon came into view and Avry smiled small at the sight of it. She hadn't been there in years. The last time she had been there she was anything but happy, but looking back on it this place was where she was born again. Avry had been so vulnerable as a fifteen year old girl who had just lost everything and everyone. This was the place where she went from a padawan to a smuggler.

Han landed the ship near the castle. BB-8 rolled out of the cockpit immediately, eager to get transport back to the base so he could complete his master's mission. Avry locked eyes with Han, and he sighed a little. He knew he couldn't stay mad at the girl for long.

"Brings back old memories, doesn't it?" He asked her gently. The girl nodded her head immediately. "Bad ones... but good ones also, if I remember Maz correctly." Avry smirked a little as Han rolled his eyes.

Rey exited the Falcon with the small round droid by her side. Avry followed out after her, leaving Han and Finn inside. She studied the girl, who seemed to be taking everything in. Rey had never seen anything like this before. Everything around her was so new to her. She took a deep breath. This wasn't the sand dunes of Jakku anymore. This was better.

But she couldn't help but worry about getting back to Jakku. "Homesick already?" Avry asked, and Rey jumped a little in surprise at the sound of her voice. She shook her head gently at the question. "No, it's more complicated than that." She commented. Avry nodded her head, looking to the castle up ahead. "I can understand that." Avry admitted.

The scavenger nodded her head, looking to her and studying her a little. "How did you... survive? Luke's apprentice killed the new jedi order, but not you." She pointed out. Avry's expression grew a little hard. "For awhile I believe he did manage to kill me... but– the jedi always survive... whether it's me or Luke. The force doesn't go away because we do. In fact we are more than just our bodies, but luminous beings... Luke used to tell me that." Her voice grew quiet at the end. "Do you miss him?" Rey asked. Avry looked to her and shook her head. "No," Avry lied.

Finn exited the ship, and Avry moved over to talk to him. She furrowed her brows at his worried expression. "You alright there?" She asked him. Finn hardly looked at her, and suddenly she recognized the guilt written on his features.

"He knows." Finn whispered, a little fear in his voice as he spoke. Avry nodded her head, gently patting the boy's shoulders. "I know." Avry said. He looked a little hurt,"Am I that obvious?" He asked, looking to her with soft eyes. A little white lie couldn't hurt. "Of course not." She assured him. "Not to Rey." Avry told him honestly.

Avry turned her head, noticing Han talking to Rey. She could tell by the way they were talking that Han had taken a liking to her. She was a good pilot, and she'd be good on his crew. Avry was reminded however of the fact that was her once. She turned away, not sure if she wanted to be reminded of that just yet. "Come on, Finn, the castle is just up ahead." She gestured, letting the boy take the lead before following him.

The others caught up with them and Finn's eyes wondered around the place. "Solo, why are we here again?" He questioned. Avry raised a brow, looking to him. "Did you just call him Solo?" She asked. "What?" Finn said, shrugging innocently after Avry rolled her eyes at him.

"To get your droid on a clean ship." Han explained quickly. "Clean?" Rey asked him. He looked back at her,"Do you think it was luck that Chewie and I found the Falcon? If we can find it on our scanners, the First Order's not far behind. Want to get BB-8 to the Resistance? Maz Kanata is our best bet." He said firmly, looking back to the castle ahead.

"We can trust her, right?" Finn asked carefully, a little worried about being found by the First Order. "Relax, kid." The smuggler assured him. "She's run this watering hole for a thousand years. Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so let me do the talking. And whatever you do, don't stare..." Han trailed off.

Rey and Finn both raised their brows,"At what?" They said at the same time. Han looked to Avry,"Any of it." They said together, and Han opened the door. Music flooded outside immediately as the group entered. The place was filled with a crowd of aliens and humans. Some would gamble, or drink, but you could obviously notice this was a prime place to do deals with a smuggler or a bounty hunter.

Across from them was Maz Kanata, a tiny orange alien who wore goggles, she placed down a tray of drinks before pausing. She turned around with a smile on her face. "Han Solo!" She yelled. The whole room went quiet, turning to look at the smuggler that had just entered. "Oh boy." He mumbled before waving. "Hey, Maz!" He called.

The small alien began to make her way over to them, noise returning to the room as music started up again. Maz noticed the redhead among the group and smiled. "It has been a long time, Caddy Racca. You're taller. Same cloak however, but you've finally grown into it." Maz commented. Avry looked down a little,"It's okay, Maz– to call me Avry." She said. Maz seemed surprised to hear this, but nodded. "Curious that most people in the galaxy know the name Caddy Racca as a teenaged smuggler that used to accompany Han Solo, and not the first padawan of Luke Skywalker."

Finn furrowed his brows, looking to Avry. "Luke's first padawan? She was a Mirialan slave girl, wasn't she?" He asked. Avry pursed her lips before nodding. "Yes." She replied, her voice short. Finn furrowed his brows, looking to the orange alien. Out of every data the First Order had on their enemies, Luke's padawans were never a concern. Maybe because all the new order were massacred. Finn guessed as Avry was here alone, this Caddy Racca didn't make it.

"Where's my boyfriend?" Maz turned to Han. He sighed,"Chewie's working on the Falcon." He informed her. Maz smiled small,"I like that wookiee." She said earning a surprise smile from Rey and a shocked look from Finn. "I assume you need something. Desperately. Let's get to it." The small alien began, turning on her heel and leading the group deeper in. BB-8 rolled behind them, beeping along the way. The sight of the droid was enough to gain notice.

The First Order would be contacted.

* * *

 _Blue eyes fluttered open, and a young teenaged girl sprang up. Avry realized she sat up too quickly once the pain she felt in her abdomen was fire. She hissed in her pain, and the girl quickly looked down to see she was still in the medical gown given to her. "Han... Han!" Avry yelled, noticing she was in the lounge of a small transport ship. She heard running down the hall and soon Han bursted through the door._

 _"What's wrong?" The look of concern he gave her was almost too much. Especially when he moved over and gently touched the girl's shoulders. She was used to this attention from Luke or Caddesca, not the father of her ex-boyfriend. She shook her head,"I– I'm just still in pain... are we almost there yet?" She asked gently. The man nodded his head, taking his hands away from the girl._

 _Han had to be careful with her still. She was still distraught over Luke leaving her all alone with R2D2 just before help showed up. Han couldn't blame her. It was unlike Luke to leave in such a hurry, especially when Avry was dying on him. But the minute the jedi master sensed his sister, he must've known Avry would be in good hands. Han also had to admit he was smart. He left Avry in the care of his sister so he could slip away._

 _"We're almost there. The Knights of Ren won't find you if they think you died." He pointed out, trying to assure the young girl she would be safe now. She nodded her head a little. Han smiled small a little, and thought if there was a way he could cheer her up. "Have you thought of a new name yet?" He tried._

 _Avry's facial expression immediately became hard. "Caddesca Racca." She whispered. Han's smile dropped completely and he shook his head. "No, I can't allow that." He told him, pointing his finger at her sternly before pushing himself off of her bed which he had been previously leaning on. "What? Why? It's not like the whole galaxy knew who she was." The teenager protested. "No... because you can't take the name of her– you'll only be making yourself feel worse." He pointed out._

 _The teenager crossed her arms in defiance. "I don't have to listen to you." She pointed out. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Listen here, missy, I'm sticking my neck out for you by letting everyone think you died when your wound reopened and you started bleeding out again. You'll do well to listen to me." He told her. The two shared a look. This kind of clash only reminded him of the early days of Leia, who he had started to sorrowfully miss._

 _But he couldn't go back. Not after the fight they had._

 _"If you take her name... don't blame yourself. Please. You didn't kill her. Ben–" Han swallowed a lump in his throat. It was a terrible thing for a father to witness the fall of his son. Witnessing the betrayal his son committed on people so close to him only made Han feel like he didn't do his job as a father. He didn't love him enough to save him from the dark side._

 _She looked over, noticing his trouble when he mentioned his son. "Ben killed her. I know... I was there... but Ben– he didn't really kill her. He couldn't have. Because he was destroyed by Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren was the one who murdered all my friends. He was the one who murdered my master, Caddesca." She said, her face extremely hard._

 _The air was cold as Han found no reply for the girl. He didn't want to believe his son was gone, but he had done an unspeakable thing, especially to Avry. A wookiee yelling from the cockpit was the only thing to break the tension in the air, and Han looked at her gently._

 _"We're here." He told her. Han looked around the lounge of the transport ship before finding what he was looking for. She was still only in her medical gown and Han was not letting the young girl enter Maz Kanata's castle wearing only that. Han picked up a black cloak, his hands running over the material with a small sigh. "This was Luke's." He said, moving back to Avry and draping it over her shoulders._

 _Avry touched it gently, her pale fingers running over the material. Han studied her for a moment, knowing she probably needed a moment alone. He sighed before exiting the lounge to go to the cockpit to help Chewie land the ship. The girl just sat on her bed, eyeing the black material in her hands._

 _"Luke... why... why did you leave me to die? Why did you leave me? I needed you... I still need you... I dedicated my life to become a jedi. What do I do now? Am I still a padawan? I know nothing else... I know no one else. Everyone is dead... and you– you just left me." She whispered, her hands clutching the material. The girl was overcome with tears, crying into the fabric of the cloak._

* * *

BB-8 beeped to Maz, as the five of them sat seated at a table looking to the orange and white droid explaining the situation. "A map to Skywalker himself?" She said, a little surprise. The small alien looked to Avry for a moment, sensing the topic made her uncomfortable. Han stared between the two of them. There was something he would never understand about force-sensitive beings.

"I need you to get this droid to Leia." Han pleaded. Maz paused to think about it for a moment. "Hmm... no." She said, surprising Finn who turned to look at her. Rey paused from the fruit she was eating. The scavenger wasn't used to this much food in front of her, or any food than ever tasted like this before. "You've been running away from this fight for too long. Han, _nyakee nago wadda_. Go home!" The small alien practically ordered him.

He gave her a look,"Leia doesn't want to see me." Han told her. Avry looked down a little at her hands. She knew she had only been encouraging that thought in his mind when she got angry with him before about why she left, maybe for now keeping her mouth quiet was for the best.

"Please, we came here for your help." Finn told Maz. Rey furrowed her brows a little bit, looking to the small orange alien across from her. "What fight?" She asked, referring to what she previously said. "The only fight: against the dark side. Through the ages, I've seen evil take many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must face them. Fight them. All of us." Maz said firmly, looking to Avry.

The female knew that she had been running away from the fight just like Han did, even more as she went into hiding at one point just to avoid it. Finn frowned at Maz,"There is no fight against the First Order!" He exclaimed. Rey turned to look at him in surprise. This wasn't the type of attitude she'd expect from someone from the Resistance, but Finn seemed to be the one to have seen casualties already in his young life.

"Not one we can win. Look around. There's no chance we haven't been recognized already. I bet you the First Order is on their way right–" Finn cut himself off when he noticed what Maz was doing.

She adjusted her goggles, making her eyes get huge. It was enough to nerve the young man as he stared at her. "What's this? What are you doing?" He asked her. Maz didn't respond, instead she climbed on top of the table, knocking over food and plates and began crawling towards Finn. "Solo, what is she doing?" Finn looked to Han. "I don't know, but it ain't good." The smuggler simply said.

"She's seeing you for who you are." Avry whispered. Finn's eyes moved to the redhead girl besides him before Maz began talking. "If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people. I'm looking at the eyes of a man who wants to run." Once she finished, Finn's face dropped. Maz's eyes trailed to Avry,"Familiar eyes, don't you think?" Those words were enough to guilt the jedi into remembering she once ran from the First Order in the same fear Finn had.

Finn stared firmly at Maz however, taking a breath before leaning in. "You don't know a thing about me. Where I'm from. What I've seen. You don't know the First Order like I do. They'll slaughter us. We all need to run." Finn finished. Rey was stunned from his reaction, never seeing him so serious or dreadful about anything before, but she had to admit she didn't know him that well. She hoped a little bit that they were at least friends after what they went through.

Maz didn't seem surprised however, and crawled back and sat down in her chair again. Avry pursed her lips together, suddenly standing up. "I have to go." She whispered. Han paused her by grabbing her arm. "What do you mean go?" He asked. He didn't want her to leave again. Avry's blue eyes met his for a moment. "Just outside. I need air." She mumbled. The young woman looked to Maz who gently looked at her.

Avry didn't say another word before turning to leave. "Avry!" Maz said, but the girl was already heading to the door. Maz turned to Finn before she pointed out some pirates in the corner. Avry took in the sight of the greenery as she stepped outside of took a deep breath.

It wasn't long before she was joined by Finn who was accompanied by the two pirates Maz had pointed out.

"Finn." Avry began, stopping to look at him. He could hardly look at her. "I told Rey the truth... I... I have to go." He whispered, moving along. Avry stopped to look at him, knowing she would be a hypocrite to stop him. But she could talk to him. "Finn... I... just hear me out. Only for a moment. I– I know you want to run. I want to run. I want to go back to nowhere and hide there forever from the First Order." She began.

He stopped, turning to look at her for a moment. "I'm sensing a but coming on." He said lightly. She nodded her head,"You're right. But running away didn't help me forget. This won't help you forget the First Order, about where you come from, or Poe... or Rey. You won't forget them just because you left them." She pointed out.

The man seemed to consider this for a moment, before he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Avry. About Poe... about everything." He apologized, turning to leave with the pirates. "Wait–" Avry said, and he stopped once more to turn to look at her. "May the force be with you." She told him.

Finn lowered his gaze from the redhead. "I hardly know what the force is." He whispered, turning on his heel before leaving the courtyard. Avry frowned as she watched him walk away from her, until she could no longer see him anymore. The girl turned on her heel, entering the club.

She seemed to have a dazed look on her face, and Avry seemed out of it as she looked around. Everything was so similar to the first time she came here. All it could do was bring her back.

* * *

 _"Keep your head down." Han instructed as Chewie took the lead into the castle. Avry did as she was instructed and looked down, using the cloak to hide the medical garments she was wearing. The door whooshed open for the three, and loud music poured outside as they entered the cantina._

 _Avry had known nothing but the jedi for her entire life. Everything was dedicated to her training, and everyone was Luke, Caddesca, Ben, her friends. No one was a pirate, or a smuggler, or a slave. Everyone was a jedi. The only person she knew who wasn't was Han and Chewie, but even then growing up they were only Ben's family and nothing more to her._

 _Now she depended her very reality on two former smugglers turned rebel heroes._

 _Maz Kanata sat across the room, dealing cards to a table full of pirates. The usuals at her place. The moment she sensed a familiar presence, one she hadn't felt since the days of Imperial rule. The tiny orange alien stood up on her chair with a smile._ _"Han Solo and Chewbacca! Back again?" She laughed as everyone paused to see the pair of smugglers waltz their way into the cantina._

 _The teenager girl reached for Han, holding his arm tightly. She was afraid, and Han didn't need the force to immediately sense that. "It's okay. You're safe." He assured her. The man couldn't help but to recognize the look in her eyes. It was one of someone who had no one. It reminded him of himself before he found Chewie. Before he found Luke, and before he found Leia._

 _"I trust you, Han Solo... please... please don't let me get hurt." She said desperately. He gently touched her shoulder, giving a little squeeze. "I'm going to keep you safe, Avry. That's a promise." Han told her with sincerity. Avry blinked a little, surprised at the fatherly feeling he was giving her. The young padawan never knew her father, only a vague memory of her mother._

 _She nodded her head a little,"Okay." She whispered. Maz moved past the sea of aliens and other types on her way over to the three. At first, she hardly took a look at Avry or Han, but to Chewie first. "Isn't it the most handsome wookiee in the world?" Maz smiled as Chewie replied with something Avry could only describe as a flustered response._

 _Her eyes then shifted to the humans of the group, especially on Avry now. "Who's the girl?" She asked, taking a step closer to the teenager. Maz studied Avry only for a minute before she started adjusted her goggles. The tiny alien circled around her, tugging on her black cloak and seeing the medical garments she was wearing._

 _"Blood." Maz commented, looking to Han with a questioning expression. "She's been bleeding. Badly... but it's dry?" She asked, looking to Avry as she touched the blood stains around her stomach. "I've been recently injured." Avry explained simply, trying not to give any hint to who she really was._

 _After the massacre that happened, she didn't know if it was safe for her to announce herself as a survivor._

 _"That's more than just an injury, child. It looks like someone tried to kill you." Maz commented. Avry pursed her lips, but her face showed clear signs of panic. Han moved over to the tiny alien,"Please. She needs your help." He begged. Han Solo never begged, and Maz studied him for a moment before she realized he needed her help desperately._

 _Maz looked back to the young girl, noticing a braid in her hair. A braid like that could only be identified with one group of people. Her eyes went wide, which was saying a lot considering they were already enlarged by her goggles. Maz whipped her head around to meet Han's eyes. "She's–" She began._

 _Han nodded his head,"Yes, she is. Now help her... please." He said softly. Avry was almost shaking in the fear that the tiny alien would deny her. The only other option she had was to open the small leather sack in her pocket, which was the only thing Luke gave to her before he left her._

 _The alien nodded her head. "I'll help you." She decided, taking the girl's hand and looking around. She hoped nobody would notice them here. "Come with me, quietly." Maz looked to Han and gave him a short nod before leading Avry away further into the castle. Han turned to the wookiee besides him. "You think we're doing the right thing?" He asked carefully. Chewie shrugged a little, moaning a response that he wasn't so sure himself._

 _Avry was taken away to a room in the castle, high up with a window that showed her the forest that surrounded the lake, and the ships parked right outside of the structure. Maz left her for only a moment, before returning with clothes. The teenager turned, examining them. They were nothing like the jedi robes she was used to, but those were bloody and gone now._

 _"I'll look like a smuggler." She said to Maz who nodded her head. "That's the idea." Maz told her,"You don't want to make yourself recognizable to anyone. It includes that braid of your." She pointed out. Avry reached up, her fingers running over it. It was the only thing she had left of her old self and her old life._

 _It was her identity._

 _The padawan shook her head immediately,"I can't... I'm sorry. The only right way to get rid of it is if I become a jedi knight. I can't get rid of it." She explained. Maz narrowed her eyes, but she understood the girl's attachment to it. "You think you died that day, didn't you?" Maz asked her out of the blue. Avry was surprised for a moment, knowing she couldn't deny it._

 _"I see your eyes, child. You're barely hanging on to anything you have left of yourself... it's because you feel like you died that day. To lose one's friends, family, and love– it can erase someone. Do you want to be erased?" She questioned her. Avry didn't know how to respond. Mostly because she didn't know the answer to it._

 _Maz nodded her head,"Don't erase yourself if you are not ready... don't run from someone you don't know yet. You are young. You might think this time of your life is the fall of a padawan, but you might realize this is the rise of a jedi."_

* * *

It wasn't until moments later that Avry felt it. The great disturbance in the force.

"Han– Han!" She screamed. The smuggler ran over to her, pushing past the usuals in the cantina. She shook her head as she stumbled back only to be balanced by Han. "They– they're using it... a weapon... a weapon of destruction– Han, they're going to destroy– they're going to destroy–" She couldn't let the words leave her, but the loud noises outside was only confirmation for him.

Han ran outside with a couple of others who were taking notice. Chewie was running up the steps, yelling when he saw Han. Avry rushed outside after them, looking to the sky. "I can feel it." She whispered, stumbling onto the grass. The loss of life took a heavy toll on the jedi. She felt their pain, and their fear.

"They're being destroyed, Han." She mumbled, watching the sky. Han studied her for a moment as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He whispered. Avry wanted to tell him he had nothing to be sorry about, but she knew she couldn't convince him that it wasn't his fault. He spent years thinking it was.

Finn came running back, right over to Han and Avry. "It was the Republic!" Finn yelled, looking to Avry who seemed in distress. "Avry," Finn began gently, touching her shoulder lightly before looking to Han. "The First Order, they've done it." He whispered. He knew what the Starkiller Base was made for, but they actually used it to kill people.

The boy quickly looked around, not seeing a brunette around. "Where's Rey?"

* * *

Kylo Ren stood in the First Order transport ship, looking down at the lightsaber that used to belong to Avry. He looked to one of the stormtroopers behind him as he looked up. "Send out the fleet of TIE fighters. We will find them, and crush anybody who gets in the way." He ordered. The stormtrooper nodded his head, turning around and giving the orders.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this one took so long! It was meant to be longer, but I decided to split it up into two so you guys can read the first part. As a small teaser, the next chapter will be titled "The Fall of a Padawan".**


	6. The Fall of a Padawan

"Come inside, quick!" Maz yelled to the four. Han turned his head and noticed the small orange alien at the entrance of his castle. He looked back at Avry, Finn, and Chewie. "Let's go." He nodded, leading them back inside. Maz quickly turned down the hall that led to the basement.

She led them down the hall, not wasting her time. "I've had this for ages..." She explained, leading them to her treasure room. Han furrowed his brows as Maz leaned over and opened a box, taking out and holding Luke's lightsaber. "Kept it locked away." She explained.

It was the lightsaber that belonged to Luke's father before him. It was weapon that Han had watched the boy use for years. But it was lost when he lost his hand, or so Han was later told when he was freed from that carbonite. "Where'd you get that?" Han asked. Avry looked to him,"Is that–" She began to ask, but the old man turned to her and nodded without hesitation.

"A good question for another time." Maz told Han, before looking to Finn. She held out the saber to him. "Take it. Find your friend." She urged him. Finn was surprised, and looked to Avry. She nodded her head, and he took it. It almost didn't feel right to him. Finn was the stormtrooper. Avry was the jedi. He turned to her, but she shook her head. Avry's eyes only told him to keep it.

Suddenly the room started to shake, dropping dust on Chewie who growled in response. Maz frowned as she looked around. "Those beasts! They're here!" She exclaimed. Avry let out a cough, stumbling back as she soon caught on to what Maz meant. "Avry–" Han began, studying the girl.

The girl was afraid again, the same fear that consumed her when the temple was lost to the Knights of Ren. She couldn't face the First Order again. "Avry," Finn said gently, meeting her eyes. "You're going to be okay." He whispered. He knew about the fear she harbored, and only hoped he could help her through this.

"You don't understand– I can't– I can't do this... I can't be here– I can't fight–" She rushed out. Han moved closer to her. "You're a jedi, Avry. You can do anything." The smuggler encouraged. Avry looked down to her belt, looking between her blaster and her lightsaber. Her blue eyes looked back up at Han, and she knew the choice she had to make.

Avry took out her lightsaber, switching it on. The girl took a deep breath, knowing that she couldn't deny all her years of training that were starting to kick in. This is who she was. This is what she was meant for.

"I'm ready." The girl didn't waste any time, running forward through the corridor as the ceiling above them shook . Avry led them through the basement as the building began to come down on them. They floor began to shake as some of the ceiling collapsed, separating her from the rest of them. "Avry!" Finn yelled, but she shook her head. "It's okay, but I'm trapped. I can't get back to you." She explained, wiping the dust off of her cloak, through her hood off so she could get a better look around.

Han moved a couple pieces of the rubble, seeing the girl through a small crack. "Chewie found an opening, do you have a way out?" He asked. She looked around, noticing the only light coming from above. "Yes. Now go, I can take care of myself." She assured him. Avry turned to face the wall of rubble separating them.

"I'll be fine." Avry said, and Han sighed before he nodded. "Go give 'em hell." He encouraged, and the girl chuckled. Her was were a little unsteady, knowing she was hearing the blaster fire from outside. The girl turned off her saber, throwing it up through the hole and it landed outside. She jumped up and grabbed a hold of some rubble, lifting herself out of the ruin.

The castle was completely destroyed by the First Order. There were stormtroopers everywhere, and Avry climbed out from the hole. Her head whipped around, looking for her saber but she couldn't find it anywhere near her. She rushed to her feet, noticing the saber a few feet away. The girl used the force, bringing it to her hands just as she noticed a cloaked figure in the distance.

Her heart stopped, that fear she hid creeping up on her again. It was Ben. She turned her lightsaber on again, and even with the distance between them– Kylo Ren couldn't deny that he heard the whoosh of the familiar sound that weapon made.

The man turned around, originally intended to pursue the girl and the droid, but now he could see what he really wanted was right across from him. Kylo Ren moved over in a long stride, stopping a few feet away from her. "You changed your hair." The mask distorted his voice, no doubt making it more sinister. Avry raised a brow, holding her lightsaber up.

"I cut it. When I became a jedi knight." She explained, watching him carefully. Avry didn't want him to move any closer, so she tilting her saber at him. "You? A jedi knight? Did Luke finish your training before he abandoned you?" Kylo Ren asked, smirking underneath her mask. It was clear that the mention of Luke abandoning her struck a nerve in her.

Avry took a deep breath, knowing if he was going to play this game she would play it too. "Your father finished my training, and he was the one to cut off my braid." She explained. That struck a nerve in him too at the mention of Han Solo. "Han Solo is not strong enough to finish your training." Kylo Ren spat at her. "You'd be surprised." Avry simply said before she ran at him.

The girl expected to catch him off guard, but Kylo Ren ignited his saber and it clashed against her white one immediately as she attacked him. Avry pushed him off, swinging again and almost hitting his side when he blocked her. "You're sloppy!" She yelled at him.

Kylo Ren pushed her back, lifting her lightsaber over his head and bringing it down on her just as she blocked it. "Your anger won't make your fighting any better. You're still the angry little boy you were when we were kids!" Avry pushed him back, swinging her saber again. Kylo Ren blocked her attacks, but it was the first time that Ren had truly realized she was stronger than he was.

Even when they were just padawans, Avry excelled him in lightsaber fighting. She was always more sensitive to the force than he was. Luke's star pupil before Ben was delivered by his parents. From then on, there was a competition on who would be better. For so long, Kylo Ren thought because Snoke chose him that he was stronger.

But maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe she was stronger, but would never go to the dark side... and he would.

"You're angry now, aren't you? At me?" Ren asked as he blocked her next attack, thankful he was able to keep up with her at this point. Avry frowned, glaring into his mask. "You killed Caddesca." She pushed her lightsaber down at him, and his hand buckled underneath her pressure. "So you're going to kill me?" And with that, she moved back.

Avry didn't know if she wanted to kill him. She knew if she did she would be giving into the dark side, but it wasn't the dark side she was afraid of. Killing someone she loved was what really haunted her. "You're afraid." Kylo Ren noticed, lowering his saber like she did. "I'm terrified." She admitted.

Kylo Ren raised his hand, offering it to her. In his hand, he held her lightsaber. The green one she had built for herself when she first became a padawan. "Then join me, and you never have to be scared again." He offered. Avry raised both brows in shock at his offer. She was strong, and he knew that Snoke was now right to spare her life. He could see it in her eyes.

Avry was considering it.

"You– you want to know what I'm scared of? I'm terrified that one day you're going to wake up and regret all of this!" She exclaimed, looking around to the battle that was happening. The castle was only ruins now, and stormtroopers and aliens were dying all around. Avry didn't want this fight. "I have no regrets anymore." Kylo Ren told her, but it was a lie. He did have many regrets, mostly around the way he handled her the first time around.

The girl only looked back at him, and shook her head. "I can't. No matter how I feel... I can't." She whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. He had made her cry. Somewhere underneath the mask he wore, and the other metaphorical mask he wore, he hated seeing her cry because of him. Kylo Ren turned off his saber, lifting his hands to his helmet and taking it off for a moment.

He knew she needed to see. Even if it didn't change her mind about joining him, he knew she at least needed to see him. Avry's mouth dropped at the sight of his face. After all these years, she didn't know if he still looked like him. But it was him. It was Ben.

"Ben," Avry began, nearly breaking his heart at her use of his old name. She took a step forward towards him, hesitating to get closer. Kylo Ren noticed however one of his troopers taking aim at her, and he reached out for her. "Avry!" He yelled in warning. She whipped her head around, throwing the target off and getting hit in the shoulder instead.

The girl screamed out, collapsing onto her knees. "Avry–" He began, rushing to her side. The man gently laid her down on the rubble, looking at her bleeding shoulder with concern. "I have to get you to safety... please... come with me." He begged.

Avry was surprised to see he wasn't forcing anything out of her. If she were to go with him, it would be her choice. Avry lifted her hand up, touching his face gently. She often wondered what he would look like after all these years. Her eyes grew soft as she stared up at him. For the first time in awhile, Avry realized she never stopped loving him.

She propped herself up on her good arm, not breaking eye contact with him. "I–" She started, but she didn't know what to say to him. She could get angry. Avry was more than just angry over his actions. She was hurt. But seeing his face only reminded her of a time when she wasn't angry with him, when he hadn't hurt her.

Kylo Ren couldn't resist the great temptation of being this close to someone you once loved. Somewhere inside him, he had to admit he missed her. The sentiment he held to her was so strong, it could almost destroy him. He leaned in and didn't hesitate to gently kiss her. Avry was only a little shocked, but melted into the kiss immediately.

Even after everything went so wrong, she couldn't help but feel this was right.

"Avry!" Maz Kanata yelled from on top of a pile of rubble, pushing the sith lord back into reality. The tiny alien was far enough that she couldn't see them, which must have meant she was looking for her. He rushed and broke the kiss, meeting her eyes. She didn't even need to say it out loud.

He knew she still wouldn't go with him.

Kylo Ren picked up his helmet, placing it back on his head. "When you've made your decision... I will know." He told her. With some hesitation, he left her laying in the rubble. Maz arrived just to see him flee the scene. She noticed Avry's shoulder first.

Maz helped the girl up into a sitting position. "Are you alright?" She asked. Avry nodded her head a little. Maz pursed her lips, but aided Avry as she got back onto her feet. "You must go then. Help Finn!" She urged, and in the distance Avry could see Finn fighting a stormtrooper with the blue lightsaber. Avry nodded her head, and took off running.

Her shoulder was bleeding, but she ran to Finn's aid just as Han took a shot at a stormtrooper. Finn scrambled to his feet, looking up at the old man and wookiee. Han handed the bowcaster back to Chewie and helped the boy up. "You okay, big deal?" The man joked, but Finn let out a breath of relief. "Thanks."

Chewie noticed Avry who was running to him, and moaned with a smile as her return. "Avry!" Han said, thankful to see her alive. The girl stopped just as she noticed the stormtrooper behind him. "Han–" She began, but they were already being surrounded by stormtroopers. "Don't move!" One of them order, aiming his blaster at Han. Finn looked to Avry, noticing she was hurt. "You've been hit." He pointed out.

"I'll live." She told him with a nod,"Stormtroopers have bad aim. It's just a graze." She explained. Finn frowned a little, but the trooper who took away her lightsaber and turned it off beat him to the punch. "We do not have bad aim." The ex-trooper defended. The three of them were then forced to put their hands on the back of their head. Avry managed it, wincing a little as she moved her shoulder.

The four were marched in a line across the rubble, surrounded by stormtroopers. A noise in the distance however alerted her that backup had just arrived. Some troopers were taking notice. "We have incoming at 28.6! Move! Dispatch! Move! Scramble all squads! Repeat, scramble all squads! Anti-air cover en route to our position!" One of them ordered. They all rushed into defense position and Avry lowered her hands.

Han looked to the skyline as he took a hint to who was on their way. "It's the Resistance." He noted. All of them rushed immediately as X-wings soared above them taking out stormtroopers with great aim. "Quick!" Han urged them, and soon they were retrieving their weapons from fallen troopers. Avry grabbed her lightsaber and tucked it into her belt quickly, before pulling out her blaster that luckily hadn't been confiscated.

She shot a few troopers down as Finn picked up a blaster from a fallen trooper. He shot down two troopers before standing up again, noticing an X-wing in the sky take down a TIE-fighter. Avry blinked, sensing a familiar presence. The ship continued to take down First Order ships with the best precision, bomber stormtroopers.

Finn cheered,"Whoo! That's one hell of a pilot!" He grinned as he turned back to Avry who was smiled. The two didn't need to say it out loud to know who it was. They shared a ship with him. They knew it was the best pilot the Resistance had to offer.

Avry and Finn then gave each other a quick nod, dividing and taking out stormtroopers. It wasn't long before the girl noticed that they were retreating onto their ships. But it didn't make sense. They would never leave unless they had what they wanted. "BB-8... where's BB-8?" She yelled, her head whipping around the battle scene to realize she had no idea where they droid was.

Han heard her, quickly running over as he watched the stormtroopers run back to their ship. In the distance, he saw Kylo Ren carrying an unconscious Rey. He frowned a little, uneasy about seeing his son this way. His eyes drifted to Avry, and she took a deep breath and nodded. "I saw him– I... I talked to him." She admitted in a whisper.

"What did he say?" He asked. Avry lowered her head, knowing he wouldn't want to hear that his son wanted her to join the dark side. "Nothing really– just... we just fought until I got shot. Then he was gone." She explained, hoping that Han wouldn't see that she was lying. He nodded his head shortly.

In the distance, Finn saw Rey being taken away by Kylo Ren and the boy ran in desperation to catch up with the ship. He was too far to save her, but he could never admit that and just began screaming after her. If only his legs could run faster, he could make it and save her. They tortured anyone they questioned, and Finn knew she was strong but he didn't want her to get hurt. "REY!" He screamed out, watching as the ship took off. He let out heavy breaths as he watched hopelessly as the First Order fleet retreated.

"Finn!" Avry called, running to where he was. The boy let out a defeated sigh. "They have Rey... he... he has her and now– I... I'm so sorry, Avry... I should have never left her." He whispered, and Avry frowned as she reached over with her good arm and embraced the younger boy. "I'm sorry too." She whispered.

If she had never left Kylo Ren, maybe he wouldn't have gotten to Rey.

The girl eventually pulled away from the hug and she met his eyes. "It's okay. We're going to get her back." She assured him, hoping that promising him that wouldn't lead to a point where she couldn't keep it. She nodded her head in the direction of Han and Chewie, and Finn nodded. The two ran over to meet them.

"He took her!" Finn called to Han. "Did you see that? He took her... she's gone." He said referring to Rey. Han barely looked at him. "Yeah, yeah, I know..." He trailed off, shrugging Finn off. The boy looked confused, but Chewie followed his co-pilot explaining to Finn he was shaken up.

He didn't understand wookiee however, and quickly looked to Avry. "It's... complicated." She said and followed them to a landing ship of the Resistance. BB-8 beeped as he rolled past the rubble to gently nudge Avry's legs. The girl smiled, leaning down to his level. "You're alright?" She asked.

The droid only beeped in concern to where Rey went. Avry frowned,"I'm sorry, BB-8... She was captured. But we'll get her back, okay? Me and Finn." She nodded her head, taking a deep breath and standing up. Han waited almost impatiently as the ship opened up. He knew what was going to happen.

And he wasn't ready for it.

Resistance fighters exited the transport ship as the doors opened, marching off into the debris of the castle. Han looked through the crowd until he found her. General Organa paused immediately when she caught sight of her husband. After all these years, they were finally reunited.

Han felt a little silly now, knowing that what the fight they had meant nothing to the love he held for her. The general was stunned to see him but soon a smile found its way onto her face. She knew he couldn't resist a good fight. C-3PO broke the silence between them by popping up right in front of Han.

"Goodness! Han Solo!" The golden droid pointed. "It is I, C-3PO! You probably don't recognize me because of the red arm." He pointed out, turning to the general. "Look who it is! Did you see who–" C-3PO was cut off immediately when Leia gave him some raised brows. "Oh." He said, a little defeated.

C-3PO turned to study Han who was staring at him. The droid could clearly tell now that he wasn't wanted. "Excuse me," the droid turned to dismiss himself from Leia as well. "Prin– uh, General. Sorry." He often forgot that sometimes. C-3PO walked over to the small orange and white droid. "Come along, BB-8. Quickly." C-3PO knew they needed a moment alone, presumably without the droids.

BB-8 beeped, happy to see a familiar droid again. "Yes, I must get my proper arm reinstalled." He nodded his head. The golden droid stopped at the sight of a young female across from him. "Avry! Avry Fayar!" C-3PO said excitedly at the sight of the girl. "I haven't seen her since she was a young girl, did you know that, BB-8?" He asked the droid besides him who beeped in response.

Avry chuckled a little,"It's good to see you again." She nodded her head. The girl cautiously looked over to Leia and Han, knowing she had been waiting for this reunion ever since Han left with her all those years ago. "You changed your hair." Han commented, not knowing what to say. Leia smiled a little,"Same jacket." She commented.

The man shook his head, touching his jacket a little. "No, new jacket." Han corrected her. Chewie walked past him on his way over to the general. He was glad to see her after all this time. He moaned and gave her hug, telling Leia how much he missed him.

Leia smiled, hugging the wookiee. Chewie then decided to leave the two alone and moved past her to board the ship. Han took a hesitant step forward, knowing it was hard for him to talk about Ben. "I saw him." The man began, meeting her eyes. "Leia, I saw our son... he was here. Avry– she... she saw him too..."

"Avry?" Leia asked carefully, finally looking past Han to notice the girl was there. She was taller than the teenaged girl Leia remembered. Her auburn hair was shorter, going just to her shoulders instead of the long length it used to be. The girl smiled carefully at the older woman. "Avry." She whispered, moving forward and giving her a hug.

She didn't know what to say at first, knowing that for the longest time she had let Leia believe she was dead. "I'm sorry..." The girl began,"For leaving. I know I shouldn't have. I should've stayed... but I was afraid." Avry explained. Leia shook her head, pulling away from the hug. "You owe me no explanation. I understand why you left the way you did... I'm sorry you were in a position where you felt that you had to." Leia told her softly.

Avry shook her head, feeling bad about it. "No, Leia– the map that Tekka had... Luke gave that to me. When he left. But I was mad at him, and my anger made me selfish. I didn't think about you or your family. I'm sorry." She admitted. Leia knew she couldn't be angry with her for the way she felt after Luke left, and she lowered her gaze.

"It's... okay." Leia said, but it was a lie. She knew it wasn't okay, but Avry was young. She was allowed mistakes like this, especially since now she knew it was wrong. "You should get onto the ship so we can get you patched up." The general suggested, and Avry nodded a little. The girl moved past her to the ship.

Han studied Leia silently, awaiting her reaction. "Did you know?" Leia asked carefully. He couldn't deny her the truth, not after Avry went and told her it. "I did." He admitted. Leia was surprised, looking to him with raised brows. "If she was anyone else, I would've taken it from her. But I couldn't after what happened to her. She needed to be left alone to process what happened... and I respected her privacy." He explained.

The general nodded her head. "I could've found him... after all this time. I could've if she–" She began, but Han gently touched her shoulder to calm her. "She wasn't ready, Leia. You knew she wasn't ready."

* * *

 _A fifteen year old girl laid bleeding out on the rocks as she stared up at the endless night sky. It was dark, and there were no stars tonight. The only light came from the flames that consumed the temple. Luke knelt besides R2-D2 and touched the droid gently with his robotic hand. The droid beeped sadly at the sight._

 _Luke turned around to check on Avry. She was still bleeding, and the makeshift bandage he had wrapped around her body wasn't stopping the blood. He moved his hands and applied pressure again. She groaned softly, biting her lip to conceal the pain. But Luke knew she was in terrible pain._

 _Lightsaber injuries would do that to you._

 _"Don't fall asleep. Don't even close your eyes... if you're lucky you'll make it through the night for help to come." He told her gently, using his real hand to smooth down her auburn hair. Avry met his eyes, her own being an ocean of sorrow since he pulled her from the rubble._

 _She swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling like she owed it to him to explain what happened. "Caddesca... I'm sorry, Luke. I didn't– I didn't stop him. I had the chance to but... she told me to get behind her and I... I just listened to her like I always do." She whispered. Luke shook his head,"It wasn't your job to stop him. Caddy did the right thing. You're a padawan, Avry. Caddy was..." The man trailed off with a heavy heart._

 _He didn't want to use the word 'was' when he referred to Caddesca. He didn't want to talk about her like she was gone. He didn't want to admit she was dead. Luke didn't want to see her burn with the rest of the bodies but he had no time to save Avry and come back for her body._

 _Caddesca was his padawan. His first padawan. She was older than Avry was in that moment when they first met, and for awhile Luke believed he had saved her from being a slave for the rest of her life. But in reality, she saved him. When his father died, he felt lost as he tried to scramble together a new jedi order. Caddesca was the first person to make him truly believe he could do it._

 _And for awhile Luke did. Until the dark side crept up again and destroyed it all when he wasn't looking._

 _Luke blamed himself mostly. He should've been more careful. Ben was always an angry boy, and he felt the conflict within him. But Luke always hoped he could be the one to fix that conflict. He shouldn't have pushed the light side towards him too much. He shouldn't have lied. Luke should've taught him about finding balance rather than hoping his ideals would rub off._

 _Maybe if he did the boy could've been saved, and Avry wouldn't have been dying. Caddesca could've lived... and it wouldn't have been his fault._

 _"Caddesca was a good jedi, Luke." Avry whispered gently as she studied her master. "She died protecting us all... it's not her fault we were overwhelmed." She tried to assure him. Luke smiled small at her. Even when she was dying she was still trying to make him feel better._

 _The man picked her up again, and Avry winced as she was moved. "I'm going to take you to my ship and get you real medical supplies." He informed her. Avry weakly shook her head. "I need more than just that, Luke. I need surgery, and you have no medical droid on your ship." She pointed out._

 _She was right about that, but he had to try. R2 followed them as Luke made his way to the ship. The droid beeped in worry for the girl's condition. Avry groaned again and Luke stopped. "Here." He said, placing her down on the ground. He propped her up, leaning her sitting against a tree._

 _Luke entered his ship, looking around for medical supplies. His eyes fell on a small leather sack. The map. It took the jedi master forever to dig it out of the archives, but it was the map to the first jedi temple. Somewhere Luke always wanted to go._

 _He considered it only for a second before shrugging it off. He couldn't leave Avry when she was dying. Luke exited his ship with some bandages and disinfectants, hoping they were enough for her for the moment. He ran over to Avry and lifted her undershirt. She had already bled through her makeshift bandage._

 _"I'll do what I can, okay?" He told her. Avry nodded as he carefully unwrapped the material. Looking at her wound was enough to make him dizzy. Her flesh was raw and bloody from where the saber hit her. If he had cut any deeper Avry would've been sliced into two. Avry flinched as he went to work, but as soon as he fixed a new bandage on her the sun was rising._

 _It was funny to think the sun could still rise after a night like that. Luke and Avry sat watching the sun rise until they two jedi felt a presence nearly the planet. "Is it–" Avry began, but the man shook his head. "It doesn't feel hostile... more worried. It just entered the system." He explained. Luke then clued in to who he recognized._

 _And suddenly he felt dread in the pit of his stomach at the idea of facing her._

 _The man immediately ran to his ship, planning on leaving right away without Avry or R2-D2. Then for a moment, he stopped as he looked to the small leather pouch. He had to leave, knowing he couldn't face his sister after what happened with her son. Luke exited his ship, seeing Avry in the distance._

 _She looked so fragile and vulnerable. He wondered if the girl would ever forgive him._

 _"R2." Luke called and the droid moved over to his master. He held out the patch to the droid, and R2 beeped as he clued in to what his master was holding. "I know. It's the last piece... but instead of giving it to you, I need you to give it to Avry." He instructed. The droid beeped in consent, taking the small pouch from his master before moving back to Avry._

 _Luke smiled small as he watched the droid give her the leather pouch. The redhead looked at it in confusion, watching Luke as he turned away and boarded his ship. It wasn't until it started then she realized he was leaving them._

 _"LUKE! LUKE! LUKE!" She screamed, struggling to her feet. R2-D2 screeched as she did, noticing blood started flowing again as she did so. Avry held her side, biting down on her bottom lip to suppress her pain. Tears flowed down her face as she watched the ship leave. She watched it until it disappeared from the atmosphere._

 _When the ship left the system, she fell down onto her knees._

 _Ships appeared in the sky moving towards the temple first. They were rebel ships. One ship however landed where Luke's ship used to be a few moments ago. The doors opened to reveal Leia Organa. The brunette saw Avry in the distance and didn't hesitate to come running to her._

 _"Avry– Avry, where's Luke?" She asked in a hush. Avry could only grip tightly onto the leather pouch clasped in her hand. A tear slipped down her cheek as she barely looked at the woman besides her. "He's gone." She whispered, finally turning her head to look at Leia._

 _The pair met eyes only for a moment before Avry fell over. She had finally lost too much blood._


	7. His Weakness

"Please! Please don't– don't, I beg of you– _please_!" The teenager begged as two stormtroopers grabbed both of her arms. Whaoli struggled against them, pursing her lips as she let out a heavy breath. This girl used to be soft, and she used to act her age. Now it seemed she was really growing up, without family or friends to fall back on.

The First Order took away her family, and Avry had been her only friend.

Whaoli pushed the trooper on her right, slamming him into the wall. The other one had failed to put her in restraints yet and the girl kicked him down. Once the two stormtroopers were disoriented, she ran out of the cell door. It was scary to think not that long ago Whaoli was a simple farm girl back on Dantooine. Now she was running for her life.

Her eyes flew around to check if there were any standing by. Whaoli's eyes went wide at the sight of three stormtroopers standing at the only exit. "Shit–" She spoke, covering her mouth immediately. Her father would be rolling over in his grave if he heard her talking that way. Not that he had a grave though. All she could remember is the sight of his dead body.

The stormtroopers had apparently heard her, because all three whipped their bucket heads around to see the girl frozen in fear. "The prisoner has escaped!" One of them yelled. Whaoli didn't even wait for an invitation to start running; she turned the corner away from the holding cells just as blaster fire began.

"Don't let her get away!" A trooper turned the corner, aiming his blaster and shooting at the girl. Whaoli screamed just as the blast hit right by her, sending sparks off from the wall it had hit. She looked back at the trooper that had fired the shot just as the sound of footsteps echoed. Whaoli turned her head and saw a black uniform. An officer.

She grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in front of her. The man blinked and Whaoli wrapped her hands around his neck. He was taller than her, tall enough for Whaoli to hide behind him. "Don't shoot!" She yelled at the troopers who had stopped shooting. The officer rolled his eyes and nodded his head a little,"Do as she says." He ordered his troopers.

They were confused for a moment, but lowered their blasters. "But, General Hux, this prisoner–" One of them began. Hux just shook his head, his eyes trailing down to the young girl who had her hands tightly around his neck. "What do you plan to do exactly? Break my neck?" He asked, and Whaoli immediately knew he was mocking her.

"I could, you know." Whaoli retorted. The general chuckled, confusing his troopers even more. "Please, you're not the type." Hux teased, which really pushed the girl's buttons. "A blaster then, now!" She yelled. None of the stormtroopers moved, but Hux just nodded his head a little. "Go on, amuse her." He ordered them. The three barely moved, still holding their blasters up aimed in their direction.

The two stormtroopers who Whaoli had beat up in the first place caught up, making it five against one very frightened teenager. Hux's troopers clearly were unclear about what to do. Their protocol didn't cover short teenaged girls taking their general as a hostage. They all continue to stare, wondering if they should listen to his orders. "For goodness' sake, troopers. The only part of her you can shoot is her hands and if you did that you would kill me. You have to admit, it's almost a smart plan." Hux commented.

Whaoli furrowed her brows a bit,"Thanks." The girl deadpanned, her hands getting a little too tight on the general's throat. He had clearly pissed her off, but he could easily deal with her if he wasn't in this position. She may not be able to snap his neck, but she was in a position where the blasters were pointed at him not her.

One of them finally laid down their weapon and kicked it over. Whaoli took one hand off of Hux's necks and picked up the blaster quickly before the general could even move. She pressed it against his back,"An escape pod." She demanded, and Hux sighed and nodded his head a little. Whaoli backed away slowly, keeping the man in front of her as she turned down the hall.

She pushed Hux forward and looked around for any troopers but there were none. Whaoli kept pushing him forward to make sure they would loose the stormtroopers if they tried to pursue her. "Escape pod, now!" Whaoli yelled at him and Hux rolled his eyes. "You're not actually going to shoot me, so why would I?" He asked her. "I will shoot you!" She barked back at him.

"You don't have it in you." Hux taunted. But then the girl turned him around harshly, pointing the blaster in front of his face. This _was_ the position Hux wanted her in, but looking now he saw something different in her eyes. Still he couldn't waver, even if he did see the fury in her. "I _will_ shoot you." She said, her brown eyes glaring right through him.

The man grabbed the blaster, pushing it out of his face just as a blast was shot. It seems she did have it in her after all.

Hux would've been impressed if the teenaged girl hadn't managed to make his troopers look like fools earlier on. He forced the blaster back and it hit Whaoli in the eye. The girl grimaced and stumbled back disoriented, and the man moved the blaster and pointed it at the girl. Whaoli froze as she slowly opened her eye that Hux had previously hit. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the blaster being pointed directly at her.

"The Chalactan girl from Dantooine. I honestly didn't think you had it in you. But we have obviously both made that mistake about each other, haven't we?" Hux asked her, raising his brow. He studied her only for a moment, his eyes falling on the small bead between her eyes. "The Lesser Mark of your religion. The Chalactan Adepts. You are seeking enlightenment, but haven't found it. I suggest you get back to your prison cell if you want to live enough to achieve it." Hux told her.

Whaoli furrowed her brows, touching the small bead between her eyes. "My parents looked for enlightenment, but they never got it. Because your stormtroopers killed them– and if you're going to kill me, then do it right now." She spat at him. Hux almost didn't think she was serious. She was a young girl, so he presumed it was bound for her to be fickle.

But she was telling the truth. That she would rather die now. Why wouldn't she? Her home was no more, and her family existed now only in her memories. Avry got out before the First Order had followed, so Whaoli could at least hoped that the woman had lived long enough. Whaoli was alone though, locked up in a cell and tortured. This wasn't a life she wanted to live.

The man frowned but put his finger against the trigger. "If you insist." Hux said simply. Whaoli moved forward until the blaster was pressed against her forehead and she closed her eyes.

"General, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice was enough to send chills through the girl's veins. Kylo Ren stared the man down and Hux turned to see he was carrying the scavenger girl who had been listed as one of the fugitives with the droid. "What is _that_?" Hux asked as his eyes went wild. Ren should've brought back the droid, not a girl. "The droid is no interest of mine anymore. She will give us the information we need." Ren explained with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

Whaoli opened her eyes, looking to the unconscious girl in the sith lord's arms. For a moment she thought the girl was dead but it didn't make very much sense based on what they were talking about. "I need that one alive. I want to know what she knows about the woman she helped to identify. What did you call her? Caddesca Racca? Did you even know that wasn't her name? But you didn't know, because that woman lied to you." Kylo Ren told Whaoli.

Her eyes became fragile for a moment. Who was he to talk about her friend? Avry had been nothing but nice to her for as long as Whaoli had known her.

Even if she had lied to her, a part of Whaoli always knew. Avry was always sad, and she convinced herself that if she tried to hide it, no one would notice. But Whaoli did, and she had only wanted to help her. Because Avry had always helped her.

"You still think she's your friend? You still think she cares about you? A farm girl from nowhere." Kylo Ren moved past the general closer to her. Whaoli didn't even look at him, but only to the girl in his arms. She looked around the same age as Whaoli, maybe even exactly the same age. She didn't even know the girl's name, but Whaoli was worried for her. She knew what being locked in those cells were like.

Whaoli's eyes drifted to the masked man. "You will not poison anything about her. Ever. She is the kindest person I know. She was kind to me, despite being sad and hurt." She whispered.

Kylo Ren knew the girl couldn't see his face, and he was thankful for that. Because it showed on his features, that regret he felt over hurting her. He had only ever loved her, but in the end he had made himself the one to destroy her.

"If she was your friend, she would save you." He simply pointed out. The girl frowned at him,"She doesn't even know I'm here." Whaoli defended. "Are you so sure about that?" Kylo Ren questioned, still trying to bring up doubt in her. Whaoli only wavered for a second, and Kylo Ren knew he had succeeded.

The masked man looked to the general,"I trust you can take her back to her cell, General." Kylo Ren looked down at the scavenger in his arms. Hux looked at him angrily still,"Snoke will not stand for this." He reminded him. Kylo Ren turned his head slowly to look at the general. "Snoke doesn't stand for anything, does he?" He smirked underneath his mask, before walking away from the two.

The general eventually turned his head to Whaoli, pressing the blaster to her side. "Go on." He instructed her, and the girl reluctantly walked back to her cell.

* * *

Avry winced as the medical attendant aboard General Organa's ship worked on her shoulder. "Don't worry, the worst part is over." The medical attendant told her with a soft reassuring smile. Avry chuckled at the man and raised a brow,"The worst part? I've always known that things can always get worse." She retorted lightly as he rolled his eyes playfully at her. However, Avry could sense that her sense of humour was refreshing to him. His other patients were always in too much pain to laugh.

"Unless you mind a scar, this won't much get worse." The medical attendant assured her. Avry's smile dropped a little, and she almost could still feel the pain that came from the scars she had gotten all those years ago. The girl took a deep breath,"Not anymore." She breathed out.

General Organa turned her head, eying Avry from across the ship before making her way over to her. The medical attendant noticed the general and bowed his head a little,"General." He said shortly, looking to Avry. The redhead nodded her head, assuring him she was okay. The medical attendant nodded back before giving the two some space.

Leia lifted her hand, gently rubbing Avry's good shoulder. "You're holding up okay?" The general asked her carefully. The two women were on uneasy ground, and Avry realized that.

It was hard for her to lie to the older woman after all this time. Avry thought she could manage it, but the reason she ran away in the first place was because she knew she couldn't lie to Leia. "I lied." Avry began, meeting Leia's eyes slowly. "I know that it was wrong to. I lied about many things, about Luke and now– I... I lied to Han." She admitted.

"Lied about what?" Leia questioned, raising both brows at the girl. She took a deep breath, remembering the kiss she had shared with her old love. "I told him I didn't talk to him. To Ben. But I did." Avry admitted. There was a tense silence in the air as the truth settled between them. Leia looked away for a moment, trying to make sense of what it meant. When she looked back at Avry however, she understood.

"You still love him." Leia said simply. It wasn't a question, because it was never a question to her. It had been so clear in Avry's eyes when she was young that she loved Ben. Leia had picked up on it before her son had even realized the he himself loved Avry, and perhaps even before Avry had realized she loved him too. Avry nodded her head a little, her eyes meeting the older woman's. Avry's eyes were filled with her hesitation and fear as she dared to speak. "Is that bad?" She asked, her voice hushed as she stared at Leia.

To say it was a bad thing would be a lie, because Leia knew that she still loved her son as well. But it was hard considering all the things he had done as Kylo Ren. Avry's fear of loving someone who had fallen so far to the dark side wasn't wrongly placed. Yet even then, Leia still saw goodness in her son. Some of that goodness was thanks to Avry.

"It's not bad to love someone, Avry." Leia said softly, smoothing the girl's hair lightly with her free hand. The older woman smiled as she looked at the girl. "You have always loved people with your entire being. Please don't think that your love is wrong, Avry." Leia told her.

Avry shook her head slowly,"But– why do I have to love him? Why do I still–" She cut herself off when she was on the verge of tears. Avry covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head again. Leia quickly pulled her into a hug just as a Resistance officer approached them.

"General? We're arriving to D'Qar." The officer informed her. Leia nodded, dismissing the female officer as she pulled away from the hug. Her browns eyes went to Avry, studying the girl with some hesitation. "We can talk about this later, alright?" Leia assured her before moving to address her officers. The transport ship descended on the planet below, taking them to the base of the Resistance.

Sunlight poured into the ship as the doors lowered, and the girl tried to process she was seeing. X-wings were everywhere and Resistance fighters were running around unloading ships and taking care of the wounded. Avry picked up her black cloak, tucking it into her satchel as she threw the strap over her good shoulder. Her eyes adjusted to the scenery as she began to walk amongst the rebels who dwelled on D'Qar.

Finn walked out of the Falcon, his eyes scanning the crowd for the redhead. He didn't want to admit it to himself yet just in case he was wrong, but he was looking for Poe too. His eyes quickly caught on Avry however. "Avry!" Finn called, and the girl turned her head to notice him. Avry smiled, running over to catch up with the boy even though they hadn't parted long ago. "Are you alright?" Finn questioned, his eyes looking to her bandaged shoulder and Avry just nodded her head shortly. The two were suddenly pushed apart by a rolling droid who had noticed someone in the distance.

The pilot took his helmet off after he descended his x-wing. Poe's head turned at the sound of a droid beeping not too far away from him. His face lit up at the sight and the pilot took off running to the small white and orange droid who beeped happily at the sight of his master. "BB-8, my buddy!" Poe grinned, kneeling down to the droid who beeped excitedly as he recounted his story of the past few days.

"Poe." Finn said, staring at the pilot in sheer amazement that he was still alive. He knew back on Takodana that the pilot could still be alive, but he never dared to truly dream that he would be. Avry eyed the pilot, smiling as she was filled with relief to see him alive. It was so rare for her to loose someone just to find them again, but she should've known Poe Dameron's story wouldn't have ended on Jakku.

Poe blinked as his droid finished, looking up to see the two staring at him from a distance. The pilot slowly stood up, a big goofy grin appearing on his face as he came running towards them. Finn began running towards the pilot as well,"Poe Dameron, you're alive!" The boy was still in a little shock on what he was seeing, but desperately hoping this wasn't all a dream. "Buddy!" Poe embraced Finn as the two reached each other.

"So are you!" Poe pulled away from the hug, noticing the smaller redhead who had just caught up to them. His eyes softened at the sight of Avry, and Poe moved over and hugged her tightly. "You're alive–" Avry breathed out, her voice pouring out the mass relief she felt. Poe smiled as he pulled away,"It's good to see you two again." He said sincerely.

Avry and Finn turned to each other and both shared a smile, feeling the same gratitude for Poe's safety, before Finn turned his attention back towards the pilot. "What happened to you?" He inquired. "What happened? I got thrown from the crash, woke up at night - no you, no Avry, no ship, nothing– BB-8 says that you two saved him." Poe explained. "No, no, no. It wasn't just me and Avry." Finn corrected, thinking about the young brunette who could already be going through torture on Starkiller Base.

"You completed my mission. –That's my jacket?" Poe's voice was suddenly filled with confusion as his eyes trailed down to notice Finn's attire. "Oh... _oh_ , here–" Finn mumbled when he began to take the jacket off. He shook his head, stopping Finn from taking off the jacket. "No, no, no. Keep it. It suits you. You're a good man, Finn." Poe said, smiling at him.

Finn blinked as he processed the man's words. He wasn't sure he had ever heard those words before. Finn had always been a good soldier, but a good man?

"Poe, I need your help." Finn begged and reached out to touch the pilot's arm. This was urgent to the boy, knowing he had to go back for Rey. He wouldn't leave her behind. Poe nodded his head,"Anything." He told him. "I need to see General Organa. Can you manage that?" Finn asked. "I can." Avry piped in, looking between both of them.

The two of them turned to look at the smaller girl, and Avry just shrugged at the look they were giving her. "What- God, you know just because we all survived a crash landing together does not mean we know everything about each other. I'm full of surprises." Avry pointed out, turning on her heel.

She started to make her way to the last spot she saw Leia, and Finn smirked a little at Poe. "She's full of more than just surprises." Finn told him. Poe raised a brow, looking to the redhead, waiting for Finn to continue. "Jedi." He mouthed as the pilot looked back at him. Poe nodded his head slowly,"That makes so much sense." Poe breathed out, recalling the moments when Avry always sensed things before they happened, then he and Finn began to follow after her.

* * *

Rey's eyes bursted open, and the girl jerked to sit up just to notice the metal restraints that kept her in an upright position. The girl settled against the restraints on her wrists. She was trapped. Her eyes scanned the room before they settled on the masked creature who was watching her.

Even if she couldn't see their face, the way the masked man sat staring at her was unsettling to her. "Where am I?" She asked carefully, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. Kylo Ren continued to stare right at her, no hesitation in his distorted voice when he spoke to her.

"You're my guest." That was the biggest lie Rey had probably heard in her life, but maybe that was the point. She could tell he was trying to intimidate her by the way he never broke his gaze, and that response was just more proof.

She furrowed her brows,"Where are the others?" Rey questioned, hoping Finn or Avry weren't somewhere in restraints the same way she was. She hoped that BB-8 wasn't being torn apart into pieces. She hoped that Han Solo and Chewie were safe inside the Falcon.

"You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends?" Kylo Ren asked her. Rey frowned as she stared at him. Despite not knowing them long, Rey had already grown attached to the people she had been fighting along side. "You'll be relieved to hear that I have no idea." He said calmly.

The masked man was terribly calm as he talked to her, but Rey couldn't help but feel that she knew one wrong word could set him off. _Be very careful with this person_ , she thought to herself. Ren tilted his head, as if she had spoken out loud.

Kylo Ren shifted through the thoughts that laid on her surface, finding the emotions Rey didn't think to hide from him. "You still want to kill me." He stated, and Rey blinked as her true colors were revealed. She couldn't help it though. She sensed a destruction behind this masked man who she knew would only hurt the ones she cared about.

"That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask." She retorted. Kylo Ren only gave Rey a moment to consider his reaction to this, and whether or not she should be afraid of it. But what he did surprised her as he unlatched his mask, standing up as he removed it.

Rey stared at him in silence. This face was not one of some fearful monster, but one of a man. His face was almost sensitive, showing no signs of anything sinister behind his dark eyes. This confused Rey for a moment, because for once she saw a human being. Rey reminded herself of the fight back on Takodana. Maz's castle was destroyed because of this man.

And she would not forget her vision.

The man moved, settling his helmet down in ashes. The noise was so loud, it almost made the girl jump. She quickly gained back her mask of defiance however. As he began to walk closer to her, she looked away. Rey didn't want to look back at him, but some of the curiosity she had dared another peek before she tried to settle her eyes on the walls of the cell.

"Tell me about the droid." Ren ordered her. Rey took a breath, promising herself she wouldn't allow him to get what he wanted from her. "He's a BB unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hyperscan vindicator–" Rey began, making the man cut her off. "He's carrying a section of a navigational chart. We have the rest, recovered from archives of the Empire." He said.

 _The Empire_. Rey almost forgot about Imperial Rule now that the galaxy had the First Order who picked up the scraps from when they were destroyed all those years ago. She had always grown up thinking that Luke Skywalker was just a myth, and that the jedi were some fairy tale. Rey had never realized before that maybe that's exactly what the Empire and the First Order wanted everyone to think.

"But we need the last piece. And somehow, you convinced the droid to show it to you. You. A scavenger." He pointed out. Rey didn't expect to get upset. She was a scavenger, but this man shouldn't be able to know that about her. And he shouldn't be allowed to use it against her. "You know I can take whatever I want." Ren informed her, darkness hiding behind his eyes now.

Suddenly, she was very afraid of what he might do. He moved closer to her, raising his hand near her head. It only took a second for her to feel it. Rey grimaced as she struggled against his hostile approach into her head. She was fighting him, but he was attacking her thoughts and Rey could only hide so much.

"You're so lonely... so afraid to leave." Ren studied her thoughts, almost surprised he hadn't reached the information he was seeking yet. A tear dripped down her face as her mind was violated by his presence, but the most important thing was to protect BB-8. "At night, desperate to sleep... you imagine an ocean. I see it - I see the island." He continued.

Rey cried as she resisted against his probing. She wanted desperately to break free, but he wasn't budging. Kylo Ren stared at her in confusion when he ran across Han Solo in the young girl's mind. The way she felt for him made him angry, and almost tempted Ren to loose his temper. But he couldn't let his personal feelings against that man get in the way of his goal here. "And Han Solo. You feel like he's the father you never had. He would've disappointed you." He told her.

"Get out of my head." The girl said fiercely, and there was a slight budge on Kylo Ren's grip in her mind. He moved around to face her directly, deciding not to taunt her anymore but get down to business. "I know you've seen the map... and now you'll give it to me." He demanded. There was tension in his grip as the girl gritted her teeth. Rey couldn't let him break her. The force that clashed among them made him realize why he could feel her fighting.

"Don't be afraid. I feel it too." Ren told her gently, recognizing her force sensitivity. Rey struggled to breath, but gathered all her strength against him. "I'm not giving you anything." Her voice grew stronger as she said that. He narrowed his eyes at her. Kylo Ren almost appreciated the challenge. "We'll see." He said as he forced his way deeper into her mind.

She had never felt that kind of pain in her life. It was so intense Rey struggled against it, but she would not waver. Kylo Ren's confidence was weakening as she was beginning to push him out. He was beginning to struggle against the girl fighting back against him. She was strong. The only one who had faced him like this before was–

He stumbled back as he hit a barrier in her mind. Rey leaned forward despite her restraints, staring him down. Kylo Ren could go no further into her mind, but before he knew it she was turning the tables on him as she entered his head. His thoughts recoiled immediately, but his fears laid on his surface. His greatest fears could not hide from her strength.

"You... you're afraid... that you will never be as strong as... Darth Vader!" She yelled, and unexpectedly an image of a young girl came to her. The glow of a blue lightsaber light up the girl's face. Even if the girl was younger than Rey knew her to be now, there was no doubt about this. His eyes showed weakness and fear as he knew what she must be seeing. "Avry!" Rey yelled out as his thoughts consumed her instantly.

* * *

 _Rage. Anger. Fear. That's what it all boiled down to. Emotions that were beginning to tear him apart. Ben struggled against his constant nightmares. Uncle Luke told him not to fear them, but he couldn't help but feeling something terrible laid ahead whenever he thought of them. It didn't help that his parents were never around. They didn't even bother to be a part of his life anymore._

 _The rain poured down on the teenaged boy, but hardly stopped him as he slashed the tree with his blue lightsaber. It was night and he knew he should be in his room sleeping. But his bedroom only reminded him of the one he left behind back home. Whenever he had a nightmare there, his mother always came to comfort him._

 _Whenever he had a nightmare here, the only person who would come was Avry. She hardly comforted him, or rather he hardly let her even try. Ben knew he had woken her up. He would always wake her up when he had a nightmare. Only once before had she woken him up with one of hers._ _He couldn't explain why they had that connection, but figured it laid in their constant competition to be the best padawan._

 _"Ben!" A voice yelled behind him, and he didn't even have to turn around to know it was her. He lowered his lightsaber as the tree he had been destroying was on a shaky support. "Are you trying to get yourself killed out here?" Avry scolded him, moving closer to him. Her blue eyes scanned over the tree he had been destroying._

 _The way she looked at him made him feel guilty for some reason. "Please stop that. You're not my mother." Ben retorted. The girl whipped her head around, staring him down. For a girl who was barely fifteen years old yet, she was scary sometimes when she got angry. Especially when she fought with her lightsaber. Avry always made it hard for Ben to win._

 _"Really? Are you being serious right now?" She asked. He shook his head, knowing he wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Just leave me alone, Avry. I'm sorry I woke you up, okay? Save me the lecture for the morning." He begged, shrugging her off a little as he turned around to look at the tree._

 _The rain and the wind were shifting it around too much for it to be good. Ben usually came to the forest when he was angry or after a nightmare, and despite the tree having a trunk wider than him lying down didn't stop it from teetering._

 _He shook his head, looking back at her to see Avry looking at him confused. "What?" He asked, his tone a little angry with her. "You apologized." She pointed out simply. He raised his brow at her before he realized she was right. Ben had always just pushed her away instead of actually apologizing to her._

 _"I– I'm sorry." He repeated, meeting her eyes. Avry smiled small before her eyes went wide as a large cracking sound was heard over the rain. "Ben, the tree–" Avry began, and Ben's head whipped around as he noticed his damage to the tree had gone too far. The wind snapped the trunk from its base, and it fell towards Avry's direction._

 _She wasn't too far from him and Ben ran towards her. While they might have their differences, he wouldn't let her get hurt. Ben grabbed her, dropping his lightsaber as he got them out of the way. The tree fell with such a thud that sent them both down on the wet ground besides it._

 _Ben didn't even realize he was holding her tightly in his arms until the fallen tree settled in the dirt. Avry was gripping onto his shirt tightly, her eyes shut as her head was tucked perfectly on his shoulder. Ben had never been this close to her before. He swallowed a lump in his throat as she slowly opened her eyes._

 _Avry looked up at him as he stared down at her gently. The two were silent as they looked at each other. Something settled between them that nether of them knew how to describe._

 _"Ben–" She finally broke their silence but stopped when she realized she didn't know what to say. He hesitated on his words a little too,"Are you okay?" Ben's voice was a whisper and he didn't even realize it. Avry nodded her head slowly._

 _The boy hesitated a little, but pushed back some of her wet locks from her face. "Ben... before you– I... I'm scared." Avry admitted quietly. Ben nodded his head a little, understanding what she was feeling. "I am too." He told her honestly. Ben leaned in, pressing his lips against hers gently._

 _It was a short kiss, but it meant a lot to the both of them. Avry pulled away, blushing as she couldn't find the words to say. But there was nothing more to be said and the boy simply looked to the tree._

 _"Do you think that my lightsaber was crushed underneath that thing?" He asked carefully, not truly wanting to know the answer. Avry chuckled, which surprisingly made him smile. The girl stood up and he watched he as she moved closer to the fallen tree. It was had been such a quick kiss that he didn't know if anything would come out of it, but he knew that protecting didn't just bring her closer to her. It had made him feel good._

 _She looked back at him with a smile,"Let's find out, shall we?"_

* * *

A second hadn't even passed when Rey fell out of his thought. The girl almost pulled back but didn't due to her confusion over what she had just saw. Rey's eyes slowly adjusted in realization. "Avry–" She whispered breathlessly as it came together for her,"You love Avry–"

Kylo Ren withdrew his hand immediately, as if Rey had burned him. A look of despair was written on his features. The scavenger had went too far by mentioning his grandfather, but Avry was off limits.

Rey fell back onto the chair, taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe that she had just done that. She couldn't believe she had seen Avry like that either. He stared at her with fears in his eyes, afraid of Rey's capabilities. He was even more afraid for what she would do with that information.

Before anything more could happen, Kylo Ren just stormed out of the holding cell. He had to get answers, ones that could guide him for how to deal with this scavenger. And more importantly, he had to bury that memory. Perhaps even all memories of Avry.

He was suddenly convinced that Avry was his weakness.


	8. A Kiss with a Ghost

"She should be this way," Poe assured them as they began down the flight of stairs that would take them further into the Resistance base. Avry couldn't help but stare at everything as they entered the command center. Finn followed in her curious movements too, trying to take everything in while he also began to compare the base to the Starkiller Base.

The First Order was nothing but Stormtroopers and officers with hard faces.

The Resistance was home to all walks of life in the galaxy.

Finn watched as the people he had learnt about in training were no more than a few feet away from trio moved through the crowds of strategists and medical officers of the Resistance. This command center is where the legendary heroes of the rebellion were still fighting against the dark side. People he was always taught to take down were now the people he would rely on.

Avry noticed quickly people had stopped to whisper. She noticed a couple of people pointing and she paused. "Do I have something on my face?" Avry asked quietly as she looked to Finn. The boy looked to her, studying her face before he shook his head. "Nothing but what should be there. Why?" Finn questioned. Avry's eyes drifted between the rebels who were stopping to look at her. Finn finally took notice, but he couldn't find an explanation as of why. Poe turned back once he realized he was no longer being followed.

"Luke has been missing for years, and so have you I'm guessing. It's not exactly typical around here to see a jedi join the Resistance and help us to fight the First Order." Poe noted, and Avry furrowed her brows a little. "How do they even know?" She asked, a little surprised on how fast word seemed to travel around the base.

Poe dismissed her question and instead approached Leia, politely interrupting her conversation with her other advisors. "General Organa, I'm sorry to interrupt. This is Finn, he needs to talk to you." The pilot introduced, letting his friend move closer to address the woman.

She smiled warmly, taking the hand of Finn immediately. "And I need to talk to him." Leia smiled softly, which surprised Finn. He couldn't have imagined in all his years that he would have ever ended up shaking the hand of Leia Organa of the Resistance. "That was incredibly brave what you did. Renouncing the First Order. Teaming up with Avry to save this man's life." She looked to Poe who smiled small.

Finn just seemed surprise she knew all about his adventures the last few days. He was even more surprised to be praised for his bravery, knowing he had been scared out of his mind when he had escaped the First Order.

"Thank you, ma'am, but a friend of mine was taken prisoner." He began, knowing that his first priority over everything else was to save Rey. Finn wouldn't just leave her behind after what they had been through together. He wouldn't leave her behind no matter what. "Han told me about the girl, I'm sorry." Leia told him, in a way that almost sounded like Rey wasn't able to save.

The pilot noticed the look on Finn's face, deciding to jump in to help. "Finn's familiar with the weapon that destroyed the Hosnian system. He worked on the base." He explained, knowing the general had to think about the next course of action above all. They couldn't always go back for the ones the First Order captured, sometimes you just had to focus on the rest of people that you could save.

Leia nodded her head, turning to look at Finn,"We're desperate for anything you can tell us." She said, almost pleading with him on the information he had. He wasn't surprised. Finn knew that the Starkiller Base was slightly different than the Death Star, but still as dangerous. They needed an inside to get rid of it.

"That's where my friend was taken," Finn clarified, knowing he could kill two birds with this stone. "I've got to get there, fast." He urged, knowing he didn't have much time. "And I will do everything I can to help, but first you must tell us all you know." Leia ordered him and Finn nodded his head in agreement. He would do anything in order to save Rey.

* * *

Staring at a wall for an hour was worse than torture. Whaoli had been strapped into restraints in an interrogation room for the last hours awaiting somebody other than the guard to check up on her. She let out a huff, gently blowing loose strands of her dark hair that had fallen out of her braids.

"How longer do I have to keep waiting or do you people have no manners at all?" She called back to the stormtrooper who was guarding the cell. They didn't answer however, Whaoli just heard heavy footsteps come closer to the restraining rig she was strapped into.

The girl attempted to turn her head to see the stormtrooper, but instead of being met with the classic white armour, her eyes adjusted to a black cloak. Any snappiness Whaoli carried before disappeared at the sight of Kylo Ren staring silently at her behind that mask of his. Whaoli moved her gaze back to the wall, not wanting to look at the sith lord any longer.

"Excuse my manners." Kylo Ren said calmly, not moving an inch as he stared down at the girl. Whaoli could tell that his voice was strained despite the calm demeanour he carried. He was angry. She couldn't see it on his mask, but his fists were clenched tightly.

A strong silence fell between the two. Almost as if Ren was unsure of what he wanted out of this girl. He knew he had to ask about Avry, but it would be hard since the girl had been kept from her true identity. "Her name was Avry." He began, surprising Whaoli. She imagined this to be an interrogation but instead he started out telling her things.

Whaoli slumped a lump in her throat,"She lied to me, didn't she? To protect herself... to protect me and my family... to get away from you. From the First Order." She guessed, watching as he lowered his head and began to walk away from her. Kylo Ren didn't say anything but he stopped, and Whaoli could only take it as a sign she was right.

"You did that to her didn't you?" She asked, her voice tinged with anger. He whipped his head around, staring the girl down. "Did _what_?" The sith lord demanded his answer from the young farm girl, and she simply pursed her lips. "I owe you nothing." Whaoli finally spat out.

Suddenly Whaoli's throat was tight. He was suffocating her but his hand was nowhere near her throat. Kylo Ren gripped his hand as he held it out, watching as the snappy teenager squirmed underneath his force. Whaoli choked, struggling to breath as he took a few strong strides towards her.

"I didn't do anything to her. She is the one who made the wrong choice! She decided her loyalty was better placed in people who were just using her for her power! Instead of me!" He yelled, the mask distorted his voice to one worthy of nightmares.

The girl was terrified of him. Kylo Ren could feel the fear in her very being as she continued to choke. "Show me what you think I did." He said, forcing his way through her thoughts. Just like that scavenger, Whaoli tried to fight him off. Luckily she wasn't as strong, and he could feel her breaking underneath his force. "SHOW ME!" Kylo Ren yelled. She screamed as he ripped through the memory, flashes of a younger Avry finally came through.

And then there it was.

In all the rush and pain of tearing through this young girl's mind to get what he wanted, he found it. What this girl thought was his fault, was Kylo Ren's fault. A brief flash of Avry lifting her shirt, and the young girl's eyes had fixated on them scars that Avry bore. Horrific scars created from a slash of Kylo Ren's lightsaber decorated her abdomen.

Avry was crying. He saw shame and fear written on her face from revealing them. She thought she was ugly because of them. Now he understood why Snoke was so sure that Avry would join them. He had ruined the girl he had once knew. He had created the darkness she now carried. He corrupted her.

Whaoli could barely breath as his force choke didn't relent. Kylo Ren stumbled out of the memory to look at her face as she struggled to breath. If he held on longer, he could kill her. He wanted to kill her. Not because of Whaoli herself, but because of that scavenger who got into her head. Rey had still managed to anger him, and he couldn't help thinking about what she said before she violated one of his fondest memories of Avry.

His grandfather could kill her. He wouldn't hesitate to strangle the life of the girl in front of him.

Kylo Ren tried to justify keeping her alive for a moment. He needed more information from her, and that was it. He wasn't sparing her for any other reason, or at least that's what he told himself.

Whaoli heaved as she was released from Kylo Ren's grip. The masked man pursed his lips as the cell door opened. The general walked in, his eyes first falling on Ren. His stance was tense and guarded, and Hux could see his dissatisfaction from the doorway. "I take it this went well-"

"Shut up, Hux!" Kylo Ren stormed out of the cell without another word, pushing the general as he moved past.

The general's eyes shifted finally to the girl to see the state she was in. Whaoli was still bloodied and bruised from her initial torture prior to her interrogation by Kylo Ren himself. Though she had been sitting around long enough for him to notice the blood on her face was dry. She was panting, shutting her eyes and praying in her species' main language.

"What are you praying for?" Hux inquired.

Her brown eyes popped open as she furrowed her brows at him. Whaoli sighed, taking a deep breath. The girl tried to muster the strength to talk back to him. She didn't want the enemy to know how weak she actually was. "Death. Haven't you ever prayed for death? For safety? For love? For family? For anything?" Whaoli asked him.

"I don't pray." Hux said, his voice never wavering with any sign of emotion. The corner of her lips turned up into a smile, surprising the general. "Of course you don't. You're a general of the First Order. I shouldn't have expected anything more from you." She spat out bitterly, her eyes settling on the ceiling of the cell rather than him.

The man raised his brows, moving closer to the girl. Whaoli simply turned her head away from his gaze. "You expected things from me?" He questioned her, without a doubt teasing the young girl. She pursed her lips, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I expect nothing from you." Whaoli said through gritted teeth, making her response sound like a hiss.

His eyes never left her, and Hux tried to study her every twitch. This girl had been a bit of a wild card since she was taken prisoner. Torture didn't work on her, instead Hux had to resort of preying on more of her personal matters. The girl had already been threatened her home planet of Dantooine in order for her to get a name. Even then, she was resistant to comply with anyone. She even preferred death based on their last encounter.

Suddenly his eyes caught something in hers. Despite praying for death and nearly dying at his hand, the general saw some flicker of hope he wasn't used to seeing in a person under such circumstances.

"You don't really want to die, do you?" Hux said simply, not posing it as a question though he didn't know if he was right about this.

Whaoli tensed up for a moment as she leaned back in the restraining rig which tied her down. "He'll kill me, or you will. So it doesn't really matter, does it?" Her voice broke as she spoke, and Whaoli didn't even realize she had starting to cry until she noticed Hux's reaction to her tears.

Normally, he wouldn't care for such a thing. But he needed something out of this girl, and he knew that the regular approach of torture and threats wasn't going to cut it at this point. She was crying and afraid and giving her more of that wouldn't get her to work with him.

This forced the general to do something he had never done before.

She was surprised when the general gently patted her shoulder with a stiff hand. "There, there." He muttered underneath his breath, trying to avoid the look she was beginning to give him. Whaoli smiled through her tears and Hux furrowed his brows at the warmth she was giving off.

"You're terrible at this." She pointed out. For a moment, the man would've been offended if her smile hadn't been so soft and understated. "Thank you for trying." Whaoli told him. The general was surprised at her voice. No one had spoken so kind to him like that since... well, never.

He quickly shook his head, tearing his eyes away from her gaze to remind himself of what he needed out of her. Hux circled around the girl, his hand ghosting over the controls for the restraints. "I will give you a chance to live. I'll let you go only if you do exactly as I ask of you." He offered, making her furrow her brows.

"What do you want from me?" Whaoli asked, a little frightened by the intensity that had suddenly filled his eyes.

"I need you to tell me who exactly is Caddesca Racca, or whatever her real name is."

* * *

C-3PO took the map from BB-8, inserting it immediately into a computer. Leia watched anxiously as the map was projected. Her eyes scanned it over quickly, the hope diminishing from her eyes before the droid could even finish. "General, I regret to inform you, but this map recovered from BB-8 is only partially complete. And even worse, it matches no charted system on record. We simply do not have enough information to locate Master Luke." C-3PO informed her.

Her eyes lowered, turning her head to look at an auburn haired girl. Leia had been mad because she had kept this map from her all this time but now she understood why. Luke was like a father to Avry, and he abandoned her when she needed him the most. All he left her was this map.

An incomplete map.

"I can't believe I was so foolish to think that I could just find Luke and bring him home." She realized, letting out a defeated sigh as she looked away from the map. It didn't help that her ex-husband was watching her, looking at her the way he always did before he went to comfort her. "Leia..." He began, and she rolled her eyes at him.

Suddenly it felt like they were young again, and he kept thinking he knew what was best for her. He was acting like he could still be there for her after everything that happened. After he hadn't been there for her for all these years. She turned towards him, frowning at him. Leia had been upset at him many times, and Han sometimes even made fun of her for it.

Luckily he always knew the difference between when she was really upset, and when she was just mad.

"Don't do that." She said, walking past him immediately. "Do what?" Han asked, almost too innocently for a smuggler. She rolled her eyes again, still surprised he could infuriate her to this day without saying all that much. "Anything." She retorted.

Han sighed, looking up to the golden droid who had been watching them. C-3PO shook his head lightly,"Princesses." The droid commented as if he understood Han's plight perfectly. The smuggler rolled his eyes, taking off after the general as she moved down the steps. "I'm trying to be helpful!" He explained, hoping that after all this time it wasn't like he couldn't comfort her.

The general hardly stopped moving. "When did that ever help?" She asked, knowing that wasn't a question she wanted to be answered by him in case he tried to be funny. "And don't say the Death Star." Leia cut him off before he could get anything in. The man finally caught up to her, grabbing her wrist.

"Look, I know I'm in no position to talk to you, but can you just for one second forget your pride and remember that I'm someone who cares about you." He snapped, getting angry at her that she was pushing him away. Leia finally stopped, slowly looking up at him gently. "I know." She whispered.

A silence interrupted the two as the smuggler got tongue-tied by the way she answered him. As much as the two of them clashed over the years, there was something the both of them always knew to be true. They both knew they loved each others, and they still knew that they would always love each other.

"Han, look– this isn't the time so can you just leave me alone?" She asked, moving away from his touch and turning away. He lowered his eyes, almost defeated before one last boost of courage came over him. This was the conversation he should've had years ago. "Just... listen to me, will you? I know every time you... every time you look at me, you're reminded of him." He spoke, a little ashamed of himself. Like he was the one to blame for everything going so wrong.

Leia had turned to look at him, her eyes softening. "You think I want to forget him?" She asked, surprising him. He thought all this time she wanted to forget everything that had happen. It had been too horrible to think about for so long. "I want him back." The woman almost pleaded.

The man shook his head,"There was nothing we could've done." He paused, knowing he didn't want to bring her father in this. But he couldn't help it. As much as he wanted to deny it, the man clearly saw it. "There was too much Vader in him." Han's voice grew quiet as he studied her face.

"That's why I wanted him to train with Luke." She explained,"I just never should have sent him away. That's when I lost him." She realized, looking up to meet his eyes. She smiled small as she looked at him, remembering the last time she saw him. "That's when I lost you both."

He took an unsteady breath,"We both had to deal with it in our own way." Han said, hoping that could justify what he had done. But the man knew he would never be able to not regret leaving her the way he did. "I went back to the only thing I was ever good at." The smuggler sighed as the general across from him didn't break her soft smile. "We both did." She pointed out.

A smile crept its way onto his face without him knowing. "Leia.. about Avry. I was just trying to help." He began and the woman nodded immediately. "I know, and I don't blame you for that. You did the right thing." She assured him. "Did I?" Han asked quietly,"Because I don't know if I did... maybe I just... made it worse." He whispered.

Leia raised both brows, immediately shaking her head. "The last time I saw Avry... all I saw was a ghost. Look at her now. She has grown up to be stronger than I or Luke could have ever imagined her to be. You did a good job." She promised him, knowing that whatever guilt he carried for their son she would not allow him to carry for Avry.

"A good job... Leia... we lost our son, forever." He said, a sadness the two both shared filling his eyes. "No. It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the dark side. But we can still save him. Me. You. Avry." She tried to convince him, but Han just seemed scared to even hope that he could. "If Luke couldn't reach him, how could I?" He asked, a little worried.

He wasn't confident in himself enough. He was no jedi like Luke. He was just some smuggler who married a princess.

"Luke is a jedi..." Leia began, knowing that's what the man was thinking. "You're his father." She finished. The way the woman had said that was in a way to make it sound like Han was capable of saving him better than Luke could. Maybe she was right.

"There's still light in him. I know it." She declared. The last time she had thought of her father, she had doubted whether or not he could be saved. Based on the actions of Anakin Skywalker, she knew she would never doubt her family again. The Skywalkers were stronger than that. She knew her son would be stronger than that and that no matter what there was always hope that he could be saved.

The two were interrupted,"General, the reconnaissance report on the enemy base is coming." The officer said and Leia turned, nodding her head as she began off. Han stood there for a moment, wondering if he son was worth saving. And as soon as he started to think that, he started to think of a life with his son in it again.

* * *

"This scavenger, _resisted_ you?" Snoke demanded, his voice tinged with anger. Kylo Ren would almost be nervous if Snoke wasn't his master. Though if he had to admit, he was still nervous. He knew he had messed up. First with the scavenger and then with that farm girl.

The memory of Avry's scars wouldn't leave his head, and the horrible thought that he was the one to do that to her wouldn't either.

At least if she had died she wouldn't have to live through the pain, but now he could only imagine the young girl surviving hours after he had left her. Bleeding out as Luke abandoned her. Was it all his fault? Ren kept trying to convince himself that he wasn't to blame here, even if it had been done with his saber.

"She's strong with the force, untrained but, stronger than she knows." The man defended himself, knowing he wouldn't had failed that interrogation if he had gone in there with the knowledge that Rey was force-sensitive. He wasn't prepared for when she attacked him right back. Kylo Ren did fear that the girl could've been slightly stronger than him, but he pushed that from his worries.

Snoke frowned,"And the droid?" He demanded, knowing that was of the upmost importance in order to find Luke and destroy the Jedi forever. Kylo Ren hesitated to tell him the truth and unfortunately for him he didn't really have a choice in the matter when he was cut off before he could even speak

"Ren believed it was no longer valuable to us." Hux explained for the sith lord as entered the room, moving to stand next to the dark haired man. Ren lowered his gaze immediately, clenching his fists as Hux moved closer. "That the girl was all we needed. As a result, the droid has most likely been returned to the hands of the enemy. They may have the map already." The general pointed out.

The supreme leader narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he thought of what must be done to correct his trainee's mistake. "Then the Resistance must be destroyed before they get to Skywalker." Snoke ordered, making Kylo Ren flinch a little. Luckily his master hadn't taken notice, but Hux stared at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back up to Snoke.

"We have their location. We tracked their reconnaissance ship to the Ileenium system." Hux informed him."Good. Then we will crush them once and for all." The supreme leader curled his hand into a fist,"Prepare the weapon." He ordered the general, who simply nodded his head before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

Kylo Ren was still a little stunned, knowing that this wasn't what he intended at all. He needed to grab control of the situation, Avry's words echoing through his brain.

 _I'm terrified that one day you're going to wake up and regret all of this._

His mother. Despite everything, he was thinking of his mother.

"Supreme Leader. I can get the map from the girl." The man assured his master, trying to not waver an inch as he tried to convince Snoke to trust him. "I just need your guidance." Kylo Ren asked and his master studied him for a moment. Snoke debated what he should do before he realized a solution,"If what you say about this girl is true, bring her to me." The supreme leader ordered.

The man nodded, bowing his head for a moment. "As you wish, Supreme Leader." Ren spoke, exiting the room just as Snoke's image disappeared from sight.

Once Ren had left the room, a certain general had stayed behind. Hux smirked a little, which unsettled the sith lord. The general barely showed anything on his face towards him other than a scowl, and now he was smirking? Kylo Ren was about to say something just as the ginger beat him to it again.

"Avry." Hux spoke, making Kylo Ren tense up at the sound of his first love's name. "The farm girl. You talked to her... didn't you?" He questioned as fury filled his eyes. The general didn't back down, even though he knew that the sith lord without a doubt had his lightsaber on hand. "I won't deny it. Aren't you curious how I got her to tell me _everything_?" The man sneered, and Kylo Ren did his best to resist murdering Hux on that very spot.

He took a deep breath,"You know nothing." Kylo Ren snapped back, convinced that Hux wasn't smart enough to figure it out.

But the man had this smirk permanently written on his face that wouldn't disappear. "You're right." Hux commented casually, surprising Ren for just a moment. "I do know nothing... other than the fact one of my stormtroopers swears he saw you with that fugitive kissing on Takodana. Now, based on the girl's information there's a three year gap that would put the two of you together but I am most sure in the identity of Avry. So sure that I might have ran the name in the database." Hux said, knowing that the other man was in the palm of his hand now.

"Avry Fayar. She was pronounced dead after everything that happened, you know. Which means you shared a kiss with a ghost. When I found her death in the data base, I thought there was nothing out of the ordinary until I realized she had supposedly died less than a week after the massacre which meant she survived the jedi slaughter. Can you imagine? Watching all your friends die and your mentor abandon you and just dying afterwards? Though of course, it would've been kinder if she had died, wouldn't it?" When the general finished, he was surprised when Kylo Ren had decided to punch him in the face.

Hux took it quiet well though, wiping some blood was his cut lip as he chuckled a little. "Who knew that the infamous Kylo Ren had a heart? And her name was Avry Fayar." The general teased, but instead of hurting him further the sith lord just turned and marched away from him. Hux raised his brows in surprise,"What? No lightsaber?" He called after the man.

Kylo Ren stormed into his quarters, the doors swooshing open as he walked in. The man rushed forward to his drawer, taking out the lightsaber that once belonged to a young padawan with auburn hair. He gritted his teeth, filled with nothing but anger. Ren threw the saber against the wall, igniting his immediately.

He slashed at the saber and began to cut it into pieces. Ren yelled as he let his anger out by destroying the only thing he had of Avry. Sparks flew as he scratched the floor in the process. His arms grew heavier and heavier as he hit it until it could no longer be torn up. The man sank to his knees, his eyes looking over the destroyed bits of metal to realize the only thing not ripped apart in his rage was the green kyber crystal.

Tears came to his eyes as he switched off his lightsaber, throwing it against the ground and crawling to pick up the crystal. He stared at it quietly as the green shimmered in is palm. A tear slipped from his cheek, falling onto the crystal. The man closed his hand, gripping onto it tightly as he was reminded of the pain he had caused.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry that took me so long to update! Things have been very busy getting ready for the end of school and I have performances and exams coming up, but enjoy this new chapter from me and once summer hits I promise to be more frequent hopefully.**


	9. Say Yes

Rey struggled in her shackles, her mind racing to think of a solution to her problem. She was pretty strong for a scavenger, always knowing her best defense to being on her own was making sure she could take down anyone no matter what their size.

However her success in taking down enemies which posed a threat before in the past years of her life, were nothing compared to the metallic cuffs which wrapped around her wrists. She furrowed her brows in anger as she continued to think that she could possibly break them.

She suddenly stopped at the sound of close buzzing. Rey's expression twisted into confusion to what the sound was, when it hit the girl. Radio feedback. Somebody was watching the door behind her. There was a guard. Rey immediately guessed that she couldn't fight her way out of this one, as she was currently locked up and her staff was nowhere at her side in the moment.

A thought finally dripped its way into her head, and the realization slowly took over her eyes.

The girl had bested the infamous Kylo Ren during his interrogation of her. While she had been afraid out of her mind back on Takodana, she had gained confidence after getting into the man's head. She wondered why she was able to do that, but as the thought of Avry slipped into her thoughts she realized why.

Avry was a jedi. Someone who could use the force.

Rey couldn't help but think of the words Maz told her back in that castle. It had always been there. As she thought about it, she could remember times in her youth where she was able to feel it. And when she had met Avry, and Maz, she had knew it to be true as well. There was sensitivity she contained that she didn't understand.

Touching the lightsaber made her almost afraid of it, afraid of what she could do. Kylo Ren made her afraid. But Rey realized she was stronger than that. Not in the way she had defended herself over the years but in the way she wouldn't let the sith lord get to her during the interrogation.

 _I can do this_ , Rey thought to herself. She would often say those words as uneasy reassurance, but now she couldn't help but picture Avry in her head encouraging her that she could just like she had done as her co-pilot when they first boarded the Millennium Falcon back on Jakku.

She pursed her lips, knowing it was time to use the force. Rey wouldn't deny it no more. She would let it in.

"You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open." Her voice was cool and calm as she finally spoke the words. Her words seemed to catch the attention of the guard, who turned his head to her. "What did you say?" He asked, clearly not happy about her demand.

But she couldn't let herself waver. Not now. She knew the power was there if she could only use it, she could effectively bend his will to her words. Rey was still nervous as she began to repeat her words. "You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open." She ordered again.

As she heard his footsteps closer to her, she began to think that she had succeeded until the stormtrooper now faced her. "I'll tighten those restraints, scavenger scum." He responded sharply.

She was getting a little frustrated, her confidence wavering as she almost stared down the guard. Finally, her features relaxed as she reminded herself to calm down. This was her first attempt after all. She couldn't expect herself to handle the force well all the time as she was just finally letting it in.

"You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open." She said again, this time she knew it was going to work. She had no more doubts about herself. The guard soon fell under the compulsion of the force as he leaned back and looked at her.

"I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open." He responded, his voice sounding monotone as he pressed the button to remove her restraints. Rey's eyes went wide as the shackles popped open on both her wrists and ankles. It had actually worked. She heard the guard move to exit the cell just as the door swished open.

Rey could do this again. No hesitations. No time to talk herself out of it. "And you'll drop your weapon!" The girl exclaimed as she quickly as she could. She was soon met with the trooper's reply. "And I'll drop my weapon." He said, and as soon as the thump hit the ground she jumped out of the rig.

The girl quickly ran out of the cell, picking up the gun as she did so. She paused at the sight of the hall, now realizing that she had no idea where to go to find an escape pod. She should've kept that stormtrooper around to take more advantage of him.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall near her, and the girl panicked as she quickly slipped around the corner near the cell doors.

From the heavy steps of the boots, she couldn't help but recall her interrogator. It had to be him. There was an air of darkness that practically was drawn to his presence.

Rey tried to remind herself that she shouldn't stick around to see the aftermath of what he would think to not find her there anymore. She tried to move away, but after learning the information that this man had once loved or still loved her new friend, she couldn't help but be curious. She wondered what would happen next, as he had been quiet since he entered the cell.

"NO!" The distorted shout signaled her that he wasn't happy about her escape.

Kylo Ren yelled for his guards as Rey couldn't help but hear the swoosh of a lightsaber turning on. She peeked around the corner just a little bit and immediately saw sparks flying from the room. He was tearing the room apart with his saber, much like he had done with the tree in the memory Rey had witnessed.

"That man has some serious anger issues." She commented to herself just as she noticed stormtroopers entering the hall. She quickly hid back behind the corner, waiting a few moments before peeking her head out again. Rey was surprised to find the guards had turned back and were now out of sight. But maybe that was better for her.

She had to find a way out of here.

* * *

In another area of the base, General Hux was gently touching his thumb to the cut on his lip. He wasn't surprised by his wound, knowing that it wasn't the actual punch which had caused it but rather the fact his lips were quite dry that day. It's not like he minded however. The only appearance the man would always keep up was the neatness of his hair, mostly due to the fact it usually distracted from the bags under his eyes that were a result of his lack of sleep.

What could he say? Planning to take over the galaxy took up most of his time, including the hours normal people would put off for sleep.

The man approached a block of holding cells, stopping at the particular door he intended to open. He opened the cell door, watching as the it swished open to reveal the girl he was looking for curled into a ball on the floor. He was slightly confused but didn't think much of it until he saw the blood.

He didn't know why, but a sudden concern for her well being washed over him as he quickly kneeled at her side. The general rolled Whaoli over to see her face. She looked up at him weakly as Hux realized the blood on the floor was because she had been beaten and cut.

"I told you everything I know. Everything. I'm not a liar, but it seems like you are." She mumbled, so quietly Hux actually had to lean in to catch what she was saying. Whaoli pushed his hands away roughly, despite being in such a fragile state after being tortured by stormtroopers.

There wasn't a doubt this was carried out by his men, on orders Hux had given out. But he had given those orders prior to Whaoli giving up information on her best friend. He was convinced that this girl wasn't going to talk out of her free will, until he actually talked to her and realized that she didn't want to die opposed to what she stated during their first meeting. Hux was almost ashamed of himself for making the mistake of not giving the guards new orders, and he knew as he looked at her that her pain was his fault.

"You're right. I'm a liar." He agreed, knowing it was better for her to think the worst out of him than to tell her he was truly sorry about it. It was better for her to hate him that know that his heart had stopped when he saw her bleeding. Whaoli turned away at his reply and Hux did his best to ignore the look in her eyes as she did so.

It was better for her to hate him. It was better for her to hate him. It was better for her to hate–

"Please leave me alone." Her voice was painfully fragile as she spoke. The man cringed at her tone, but didn't deny her despite how he felt. Hux was back on his feet but he found himself unable to leave the cell and take his eyes off of her the injured girl.

Whaoli frowned as she couldn't hear the movement of the general leaving. "Leave me alone!" She yelled, her voice breaking as she finished. Hux didn't stay still any longer, though he was stiff and tense as he finally exited the cell. The ginger pressed the button and locked it back up again, letting out a heavy breath as he heard the door swish closed.

He knew if he was truly going to keep his promise to himself that it was better for her to hate him, he would leave now and let her lay in her own misery. Yet the general couldn't find the will to leave her alone, so inside Hux sighed as he slumped his back on the door of the cell.

The man looked down the block to check if any of his troopers nearby, and when he was certain he wouldn't have to worry about being caught, he slid down the door into a sitting position. Hux leaned on the door as he let the silence consume his concerns for the girl on the other side of the door.

Time passed before the silence was finally broken, as Hux heard movement from the other side of the door. He lifted one hand and looked over to realize there was a shadow between the small crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. Whaoli was leaning against the door in her cell. He remained quiet as he couldn't help wondering what she looked like.

He couldn't help but wonder if she was still mad.

"You still here?" Her voice was less fragile than it was minutes ago, and Hux stupidly nodded his head at first to her question. When he soon realized she couldn't see him, he corrected himself. "I'm here." He said gently, a little nervous on whether or not he would be yelled at for his mistake.

He was used to being yelled at for his mistakes.

She let out a soft sigh, one that still carried between the door that separated them. Whaoli swallowed a lump in her throat as she finally voiced her thoughts,"I don't care whether or not you lied. Like I said, I expect nothing from you. And yet... I still want to ask something of you." She admitted.

"Ask away." The general permitted her, a little confused by her words but he didn't want to deny her a chance for her to speak openly to him. It wasn't everyday when prisoners told their captors what they were thinking. "When I die, I want you to bury me on my home planet, Dantooine." She requested.

Hux couldn't help but frown at her request. "You're not going to die, I gave you my word that if you gave me information I would let you live–" "I thought we agreed that you are a liar, General." Whaoli cut him off harshly.

It came to his surprise that her words had actually hurt him. He tried to tell himself that the opinion of some farm girl didn't matter, and yet he couldn't help but be reminded of his great concern he felt for the girl. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't fight the part of him that somehow got attached to her.

"Why... why ask this of me? Why ask a liar _this_ of all things? If you know that I am what we agreed on, why ask me to carry out your last wish?" He asked, angry at her for calling him a liar and yet still demanding something out of him. Hux grew even more angry when her response didn't come immediately, but the minute she spoke next all his anger dropped at her reply.

"Because I need to hear you say yes."

Silence fell over him again as he couldn't think of a way to respond to her. Instead the man just stood up. When the girl on the other side of the door heard him stand up, she was convinced that he had walked off. That he had left her. But when no footsteps followed, Whaoli should've seen what happened next.

The door she was leaning on disappeared as it slid open. Whaoli fell back onto her palms, whipping her head around to realize that the general was standing right there looking down at her apologetically. "I'm sorry." He whispered, breaking his silence. "You're in pain because of me. It is my fault. I accept full responsibility." Whaoli was taken back by his apology, and quickly got up on her feet. Whaoli looked up at taller man, raising both brows. She hadn't expected him to apologize to her.

"But... if I am to do what you ask. I will need your name. Graves usually tend to have the names of those deceased." Hux said simply, trying not to meet her eyes as he gave into her request. She was even more shocked to hear him actually agree to her last wish. "Uh– my name is Whaoli. Whaoli Kasira." The girl introduced herself, bowing her head a little as she did a little curtsy. An action which was more of a reflex for the farm girl, having been taught to introduce herself politely no matter what the situation.

Even if the situation was introducing yourself to someone who was supposed to be your enemy.

He found himself smiling at her introduction, which caught Whaoli's attention and the girl smiled back. Hux hadn't even realized he had really smiled until she saw her returning the smile. The general cleared his throat, as if feelings were an itch in the throat that he could simply cough away.

Whaoli was a little confused by his actions but decided to ignore it. "Your name is... General Hux, yes?" She asked him, knowing she had heard the stormtroopers using the address for the man. Hux made a face at the girl,"My name isn't General, you know that right?" He asked her. Whaoli rolled her eyes at his response.

"I'm not some dumb farm girl. I know it isn't your name. What is your name?" She asked, what seemed like a simple question to her.

It wasn't a simple question to Hux however.

The man almost turned as red as his hair, not sure what her reaction would be to hearing his first name. "My name is– uh... Armitage. Armitage Hux." He answered her, a little nervous to what her reaction to be. Hux didn't know why he expected her to laugh or make fun of him and was quite relieved when he noticed the genuine smile she carried hadn't left her face.

"Armitage." She tested the name out on her lips, and Hux smiled again when she said his name. He was about to say something else when the two of them were interrupted by a military officer who had turned the corner. The general was quick to jump out of the doorway, pressing the button to shut the door. Whaoli looked just as surprised as he was as the door closed on her, but luckily she knew to shut up immediately.

Hux leaned on the wall opposing the cell door, trying to look casual as one of his inferiors took notice to him. "Ah, General Hux. I was looking for you. Should we begin charging the weapon now or should we wait for your order?" She asked the general, and he pursed his lips at the officer. "... Wait for my order. I'll be up in the command room in a minute." He told her. The officer nodded her head, turning back down the corner she came from.

As soon as her footsteps became fainter, Hux rushed to open the cell again. Whaoli hadn't moved since he had closed the door on him, and was fact even confused to why he opened it up again in the first place. But an idea had came over the general as the reminder of the weapon being prepared to fire came to him.

"I'm _not_ a liar. I gave you my word, Whaoli Kasira, and I intend to keep it. I need to go do something but when I'm back I will keep my promise and get you out of here alive. Do you believe me?" He reached for her hands, taking them gently. The action surprised the girl, but Whaoli quickly nodded her head. "I believe you, Armitage." She told him.

He nodded his head at her response, and the man let go of her hands. He exited the cell and his finger ghosted over the button to close it. "I'll be right back." He assured her and Whaoli nodded her head again as the door shut on her once more.

If he had the time, he wasn't sure if he would rethink his actions towards the girl. All he could do know was go give the order for the weapon to begin charging, and during the time it would take he would get the girl off this planet. He knew she would be safe as soon as she got away, even if that meant she would also be getting away from him.

* * *

Avry stood next to Finn as Poe began the meeting. The pilot only started when Leia approached the table, knowing that he had to wait for the general to join him. Besides there was no way Poe would ever start a meeting this important without Leia there. No one seemed to take notice on the fact she was accompanied by Han Solo, no one except for Avry.

The sight was a little unnerving for her, and she didn't know why. It's not like the woman ever hated seeing them together. In fact she recalled the happiest she had ever seen Leia and Han was when they were together, especially with Ben. Avry couldn't help but think they had been talking about her. She still wondered if Leia was upset with her about her past actions.

She really hoped that Leia wasn't still upset with her.

Finn took notice the girl's tense movements, which were almost nervous and shaky. He furrowed his brows as he leaned in close to whisper in her ear so he wouldn't disturb anyone. "You okay?" The boy asked quietly. Avry was surprised when he whispered in her ear, nearly jumping as she forget he was right besides her.

"Fine." She replied shortly, ignoring the gaze of concern he sent her way as she looked away from the sight of Leia and Han back to Poe.

Poe pulled up the holographic map onto the table, looking over the data as he began to recount what he went over with his fellow pilot earlier. "The scan data from Snap's reconnaissance flight confirms Finn's report." He informed the other rebels around the table, looking to Snap. "They've somehow created a hyper lightspeed weapon built within the planet itself." Snap explained.

Brance raised a brow at the statement,"A laser cannon?" He questioned the pilot. Snap was a little uneasy, recalling the size of Starkiller Base. "We're not sure how to describe a weapon of this scale." He tried to summarize it the best he could, knowing that the weapon wasn't simply a cannon as it was an entire planet.

"It's another Death Star." Major Ematt commented, memories rushing over him of his time spent during the galactic war against Darth Vader all those years ago. Poe shook his head a little at the major,"I wish that were the case, Major." The man said, hitting a button and bringing up the scale of the Death Star.

"This was the Death Star." Poe pointed out the holographic model of the weapon with hitting another button. The design of the Death Star shrunk in size as the hologram of Starkiller Base appeared much larger compared to the weapon the rebels had managed to destroy all those years ago. "This is Starkiller Base." He finished.

Everyone around the table let out tiny gasps to realize how bigger the base was to the star.

"So it's big." Han commented, trying to calm some people down with his sarcastic wit. His wit was no help however, but at least his comment wasn't as bad as the one which left a certain auburn haired girl. "It's literally another Death Star, guys. What's the big deal? Didn't you destroy the last two?" She asked.

No rebel seemed very impressed with Avry's comment, much less Leia.

As soon as the general's eyes were on the young jedi knight, Avry lowered her gaze and pursed her lips together. She should've known better than to say that out loud. She knew that some people around this table were there for both Death Stars and a lot of their comrades were killed during that by the Empire.

"How is it possible to power a weapon of this size?" Ackbar asked, quickly changing the subject from Avry's comment. She wondered if the admiral did that to help her or that he was actually curious about the weapon.

He was probably just curious about the weapon.

"It uses the power of the sun. As the weapon is charged, the sun is drained until it disappears." Finn spoke up, offering the information he knew of the weapon to the rebels. He knew it was the best way to help him and if the meeting went well, maybe he could work in a plan to save Rey.

A rebel officer approached Leia, handing her a datacard. The general frowned at the information she was presented with, looking up at the rest of the people with a hard expression. "The First Order. They're charging the weapon again, now." She said, her heart sinking as she spoke the next words,"Our system is the next target."

Leia couldn't help but be reminded of the home she once lost because of weapons such like these, weapons which destroyed planets and destroyed the planet she had called home for such a long time.

"Oh my. Without the Republic fleet, we're doomed." C-3PO, ever the pessimist, commented to nobody's liking.

Han knew this was bad, but he knew he couldn't just give up. Giving up was something he would've done when he was younger and foolish. Even then, maybe he wouldn't have. With all the mistakes he made, sometimes he did the right thing just to change up everybody's expectations of him. "Okay. How do we blow it up?" He suggested. "There's always a way to do that."

"Han's right." Leia replied quickly, surprising the smuggler who knew that was always the closest thing she ever got to complimenting him most of the time.

Admiral Statura knew better than to argue with the general, so then he just decided to think about what could possibly be a weak point in a weapon this large. "In order for that amount of power to be contained, that base would need some kind of thermal oscillator..." The man suggested.

Finn immediately nodded,"There is one," He said, pushing past some rebels to get to the side of the hologram he was looking for. "Precinct 47. Here." Finn pointed out the position on the base, encouraging the admiral to continue his theory. "If we can destroy that oscillator, it might de-stabilize the core and cripple the weapon." Statura explained to the group.

BB-8 listened to the conversation, conveniently laying low and out of attention considering he wasn't taller than most of these people's knee heights. The droid rolled quietly through the crowd, only stopping when he was by Avry's side. The girl was little surprised by the droid casually bumping the side of her leg, but Avry didn't protest or shoo him away. Instead she smiled.

Ematt picked up on what the admiral was talking about, figuring out Statura's point before he made it. "Maybe the planet." He said, earning a nod from the admiral. It made sense, if you crippled the weapon you would cripple the planet. It would lead to the weapon's destruction.

Poe was inspired by them grouping together to figure this problem out. The pilot nodded his head firmly,"We'll go in there and we'll hit that oscillator with everything we got." He said, trying to lift the spirits of the Resistance.

Admiral Ackbar was however always the voice of reason. "They have defensive shields that our ships cannot penetrate." He pointed out the obvious, knowing they still had to address that if they were going to pull this off.

"We disable the shields." Han commented, saying it like it was a piece of cake. "Kid," The smuggler said, referring to Finn who stood at the opposite side of the table from him. "You worked there, what do you got?" He asked.

This was it. If he was going to save Rey, this was it. He paused for a moment before answering,"I can do it."

Han smirked as he turned his head towards Leia. "I like this guy." He said matter-of-factly to the general who simply raised a brow at his side comment. "I can disable the shields. But I have to be there, on the planet–" Finn explained, only stopping when he realized that Avry had began to stare at him in the same way she had did when he had lied to Rey.

It was almost like she knew what he was thinking, and he frowned at the thought that she was only capable of that because of the force. _Stupid force_ , he thought a little to himself.

"We'll get you there." Han said, looking back to Chewie. With that wookiee and the Falcon, the smuggler was quite confident that he was capable of anything possible. Not to mention he already knew the perfect way, and unfortunately only way, to get through the shield.

Leia didn't seem to like his response as she narrowed her eyes at the man. "Han, _how_?" The woman asked, almost afraid that it was something that would put them in danger. His response did no way put her at ease. Han looked at her, almost apologizing already with his eyes. "If I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"So we disable the shields, take out the oscillator and we blow up their big gun. All right. Let's go!" Poe declared, sending the rebels off in different directions as they all prepared for the attack. Chewie even let out a triumphant cry. BB-8 left Avry's side to go join his master, rolling happily along as he realized he was joining Poe in another attack against the forces of evil.

Avry went up to Han as soon as people began to scatter. "I'm coming with you." She stated, not even waiting for the man's opinion as she spoke up to him. Finn soon joined them, and the boy started to regret walking in after Avry's words based on the look on Han's face. The smuggler did _not_ look happy.

"You're not coming with us."

"What do you mean I'm not coming with you?"

"It means you're not coming with us!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I can too, young lady!"

"Don't call me young lady!"

"Don't presume you're coming with us!"

"You need me!"

"We don't need you!"

"You do need me! Admit it, Han Solo!"

"Never, Avry Fayar!"

Finn watched the back and forth conversation between the two equally hot headed people, a little scared by the tone they were both using. The boy turned to the look at the furry alien which stood besides him watching the fight like it was nothing. "Is this normal for them?" Finn questioned. He was answered with what he could only guess was wookiee for 'yes'.

* * *

Soon everyone was preparing for the battle ahead. Finn carried a gun, walking past rebels at the sight of Poe dressed in his pilot uniform passed him. The two shared a knowing look, both wondering if they were going to see each other again. They just had been reunited after all.

Poe didn't say a word, just giving Finn a firm nod and touching his shoulder. It was a silent farewell, but Finn would remember it.

Finn caught up with Avry who was already helping load the Falcon. After fighting with Han for another few minutes, the girl had finally managed getting the aging smuggler to give in to her joining them on their mission. "Finn, would you mind packing those?" The girl asked, carrying some heavy boxes into the ship.

He stopped and gave a short nod as he began dealing with weapons he wasn't exactly familiar with. This was nothing like stormtrooper weapons, which were always up to standard. Resistance weapons were ones dealt on the black market away from the eyes of the First Order.

"Chewie, check that donal capitator. Come on. Let's go." He urged the wookiee on, looking back as he saw Finn packing the bombs he intended on bringing. Han practically rolled his eyes at the slopping way the ex-trooper was handling them. "Finn, be careful with those - they're explosives." He warned.

The boy nearly dropped a jaw as he looked down at the bombs he was holding. "Now you tell me?" He asked, a little exasperated with the smuggler already even though he knew it was probably Avry's fault for not telling him. As the redhead exited the ship again, he sent a glare towards her which showed he knew the truth.

Avry smiled innocently back at him.

Leia stood a few feet away from Han, unsure of what to say to him before he was whisked off into danger that could get him killed. Finally the general found some courage left in her that could only be dedicated to the sassy princess she once was. "No matter how much we fought, I've always hated watching you leave." She commented, smirking as he turned around to look at her.

Han looked over, nervously returning the smirk she gave him. There was so much to say to her, and yet at the same time there wasn't. His eyes scanned over her before he finally replied,"That's what I did it. So you'd miss me."

She laughed a little, and it wasn't until the woman laughed at Han actually realized how much he in fact had missed her. All those years running away from her and what had happened, he did his best to avoid stopping and realizing he still loved her with every fiber of his being.

"I did miss you." She admitted quietly, earning a warm smile from Han. "It wasn't all bad, was it? Huh? Some of it was...good." He settled on the best word he could find to summarize their time together and Leia nodded her head a little. "Pretty good." She agreed.

"Some things never change." Saying that made him feel old, but he knew the real reason he said it because he was trying to tell her. Han always did that with her. Instead of just telling her how he really felt, he presumed the things he said instead of the actually thing he wanted to say was his best option.

The general nodded her head a little. "True." She said simply, smiling a little up at him. "You still drive me crazy." She replied jokingly. Han's lips parted a little as the words he truly wanted to say almost left his lips. It wasn't that hard, but he always made it hard. _I still love you._

Instead of saying the words he wanted to say, he didn't want to complicate what could be their last moment together. He didn't want to risk her getting mad at him or her rejecting him. He wouldn't allow that to be the last time she saw him, so he just put his hands on her shoulders.

Han embraced her, placing his hand on her hair like he had often done all those years ago whenever they hugged. He missed this. He missed the way Leia perfectly fit in his arms, and he rested his chin lightly on the top of her head.

"If you see our son again, bring him home."

Leia's voice was so soft when she spoke, and Han pulled away from the hug as he met her eyes. He simply nodded his head as the man let go of her. "I should get going." He mumbled, turning his back on the general and going to help Chewie.

She watched him as he left her, and Leia knew she had other duties to attend to before everyone took off for Starkiller Base. But as she watched him she couldn't help but quietly whisper words she had wanted to say to Han's face before he left but didn't want to risk complicating things before he left.

"I know." Leia whispered gently to herself, her eyes looking towards the man she held so dear in her heart.

* * *

 **A/N: After my performances and exams, I was taken away immediately to vacation in Greece but now I have come back and am very tan and ready to write. I hope you lovely readers enjoyed this chapter.**


	10. The Point of No Return

"How are we getting in?" Finn knew he had to ask again, since Han wasn't the answering type which made it hard for him the first time around when Finn questioned the plan. He was a soldier, not a smuggler.

Yet he found himself surrounded by smugglers.

Like she was reading his thoughts again, Avry gave him a look. He guessed by the look on her face that she was practically correcting him without even speaking. "Seriously, stop doing. I don't even know how you're doing that." He leaned over to whisper to her.

Avry smirked a little before shrugging her shoulders casually. "I guess I'm force sensitive and Finn sensitive." She chuckled at her own joke, and even earned a small wookiee version of a laugh from Chewie. Avry's jaw dropped in pure excitement as she pointed to the fuzzy co-pilot.

"Did you see that?" She whispered to Finn with a grin, but the boy simply rolled his eyes at her and looked back to Han. Avry could be very tough at times, so much that Finn often forgot the other side of her. She was playful and sarcastic. Finn had determined it wasn't the worst of combinations, but it did annoy him during some moments.

Han looked over, smiling at the sight of Avry looking excited for once. He hadn't seen her like that since her teenaged smuggling days.

The man turned to Finn, deciding to give him a break and actually tell him part of the plan to get there. Han was so used to winging it that it hadn't even occurred to him that before Rey and Avry and Poe, nothing stepped out of the box for a stormtrooper. "Their shields have a fractional refresh rate. Keeps anything traveling slower than lightspeed from getting through." The smuggler informed him.

Finn frowned as he realized what this meant. "We're making our landing approach at lightspeed?" Finn asked, to which he was quickly replied by a growl from a certain wookiee. "Have some faith, Finn." Avry leaned over and nudged her elbow against his abdomen but he only frowned and moved away a little.

"I'm starting to think I have too much of it to follow you lunatics." He grumbled, which only made Avry chuckle to his surprise. Finn however decided to smile small back at her, knowing without her having to say it that she was laughing with him and not against him.

Han looked over at his co-pilot. "Chewie, get ready." It was more of a warning than anything.

The boy behind the two pilot looked a little worried when Han spoke up, and Finn moved to sit himself down. Avry followed him, knowing it was better to strap in than risk seriously hitting your head during the landing. "And... NOW!" Han yelled as he dropped out of lightspeed, the planet's scenery engulfing all of their visions.

"Pull up!" Avry shrieked and Han followed suit as he roughly pulled on the controls. The Falcon soared upwards as Chewie began to growl. Han's knuckles turned white as he gripped the controls,"I am pulling up!" He protested to both the wookiee and the girl as his eyes went wide at the trees they were flying towards.

They crashed through the trees, ripping pines apart right down the middle. Finn and Avry struggled to hold onto their most recent meals as the ship lurched up and down at a new angle every time they hit a tree.

Chewie growled in distress much to Han's displeasure. "I get any higher... they'll see us!" He yelled, deep down not wanting to snap at his longtime friend, but smashing into a bunch of trees kind of clouded one's vision.

Finally the ship freed itself from the trees, and Han attempted to bring them down to a smooth landing. However, that clearly wasn't an option. The moment the Falcon hit the ground harshly, making Finn nearly scream. "I think I'm going to be sick." He muttered underneath his breath, a bead of sweat running down his temple as he cringed.

The ship began to slide across the icy ground and Finn began thankful they weren't bumping up and down anymore. Avry was quick to unstrap herself even if the ship hadn't stopped moving. When she went to stand up, she lost her footing due to the violent movement.

She fell onto the floor of the cockpit just as the ship finally stopped at a cliff's edge. "You couldn't have waited, could you?" Han asked as he turned around to see the girl on the floor, her black cloak covered her most of her body except for her auburn curls which laid spread out in front of her face.

Avry groaned before rolling over and reaching her hand out to the smuggler. "You know me." She mumbled weakly as Han helped her back onto her feet. She smiled as she quickly straightened her cloak. Avry reached over to her satchel, her eyes falling onto her lightsaber and blaster. She paused before finally taking out her lightsaber.

Before she could even take another step, Han stopped her. He put his hand lightly on her lightsaber and lowered it back into her bag. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to come with us. You'll stay here on the Falcon. When we give you the signal, then you come and get us... okay?" His voice was soft as he talked to her, but that didn't make her any less offended by his decision.

"Han, we agreed I could come along." She reminded him. Han waited until Chewie and Finn left the cockpit before continuing. Both of them realized that the smuggler needed to talk to her in private and Finn didn't know if he wanted to witness them bickering again. But as the boy rounded the corner, he couldn't help but stop.

Chewie moaned at him and Finn could only presume that was wookiee for 'do not eavesdrop'. He simply planted his index finger firmly to his lips before staring down the tall creature. Chewie rolled his eyes and decided to leave the boy, knowing if he got caught it would be Han's problem and not his.

The smuggler had a hard time looking at the girl, especially since his words had already ticked Avry off. He took a deep breath and convinced himself this was the right thing to do. "You can't come with us into the base, Avry. You can't. Those are my orders and I expect you to follow them." He told her simply. She frowned and he could clearly see that she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

Avry crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow. "How many times do I have to say that you need me? Does anyone else here know how to use the force besides me? You can't just shove me away, Han. I'm a trained jedi. I know how to fight and I know how to take on the First Order." She pointed out, but Han was having none of it.

He shook his head again,"No. No, Avry." Han said simply, as if that was enough of an answer for her. Her anger over this was starting to boil over. She couldn't believe he was just telling her no instead of actually explaining himself. He always did this to her when she was younger whenever they were smuggling something a little dangerous. Instead of trusting her, Han always pushed her away from the action with a _no_.

"You honestly can't tell me the real reason? You can't just keep saying no and expecting me to settle for that. I want– no, I need to know why you're so against me going on this mission!" Avry shouted at Han, her eyes desperately searching for answers from the man. He clenched his fists, knowing that the girl was a lot older now than she had been when everything went wrong. She was a woman and he had to stop treating her like a child.

But no matter what Han Solo could do, all he could see was the helpless girl he had promised to save.

"I... I don't want you to see him again." Han admitted in a soft whisper, surprising Avry. She didn't know how to feel about his reveal, mostly because she was confused about what he was so afraid of. "But Ben–" Avry began, but Han lifted his hand to cut her off.

He didn't want to admit the worst of his son. Han loved his son. But the father couldn't deny the acts his son had committed against Avry of all people. "Ben... I love him. Leia loves him. I know you love him too... but, Avry, he killed you once. I can't let that happen again. I can't let you die again." Han told her, knowing that this was the first time he ever admitted to her how much he needed her. The man knew he was never in a position to, because he wasn't her father and he wasn't her teacher. He was just some smuggler who wanted to help her out.

Avry's eyes softened at his words, her anger finally bubbling down until it was completely gone. "He didn't kill me, Han. I know I acted that way for awhile... but he didn't. Okay? I realize that now. I realize all these _old scars_ mean nothing other than the fact that I'm still alive. I'm alive and I have the chance to save the galaxy. I'm going to take it. You're not going to lose me." She tried to assure him, and her words almost gave him enough confidence to believe.

The man knew better, however. He had seen the rise of two young men who had turned to the dark side and he knew of the devastation that always laid ahead in these wars. "Avry... he did kill you." Han muttered, knowing that admitting the truth could possibly turn her away from the events about to unfold. If they didn't, it would be the point of no return.

She froze at his words, clearly confused by what he meant. "What do you mean?" She asked. Han spent all his time with her since the massacre convincing her that she was stronger than the way she felt. He convinced her that she didn't have to stop her training into becoming a jedi. He was the one who gave her hope again, and now he was saying the same things she had said all those years ago.

"No... No, I don't understand." She said, and Han reached over and took a hold of her shoulders before she could run away from him again. "Leia didn't want to tell you. She thought it would be best to keep it from you but... Avry, you did die. I know we led you to believe that you only came near death during the surgery to heal your wounds but that's not true. We got there too late. Your heart had stopped before we got you into surgery." He hoped telling her the truth would save her in its own way, and Han hoped he wasn't betraying Leia's trust to tell Avry the truth.

"But... I'm alive." Avry whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Han lifted a hand to her cheek and gently rubbed the edge of her thumb across her pale skin. He smiled a little as he looked at her fondly,"You are alive, Avry. What brought you back was a miracle... the force. It saved you." He explained. Avry felt her whole world shake at the reveal. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked at the man who had cared for her in her darkest hour.

"Why did you keep this from me?" She asked gently. Han took a heavy breath after removing his hand from her cheek,"I... I always thought you were saved so you could... save Ben." The man admitted, feeling guilty for thinking so selfishly. He had only helped her out at first for the benefit of his family, and not her. He thought if he helped Avry, she could get his son back and he would return to his wife with Ben by his side.

And everything would return back to normal.

But that dream was nothing but a dream. Han had never expected more from the girl than his own desires, but she was nice to him. She reminded him of himself right after his own parents died and he knew he couldn't just use her. He had to look out for her, and maybe that would make up for the fact he had no one looking out for him when he was that age.

"I was wrong, Avry. I only helped you get away from everyone because I knew if I lost you, I'd lose my son forever... but I'm telling you right now that I will not leave this planet without you." He said firmly, meeting her eyes. Avry wavered a little in trusting him, and Han could see it all over her face. "Come on, you know I'm not lying to you. I let you go once with no questions asked. I let you go because you asked to leave and I would do anything for you." Han told her.

She let out a tear after his words, still shaking from everything he told her. "I... I only left before I didn't want you to get hurt." Avry admitted with a soft sob. "I was afraid the First Order would find me no matter how much we moved around the galaxy... I was afraid you would get caught in trying to protect me and you'd die. Okay? I don't want to lose you as much as you don't want to lose me. You've done so much for me and I don't deserve you to care this much. I'm not your family. I'm not your daughter–"

"You _are_ my daughter. Please stop saying you aren't. I've looked out for you long enough to know that you are my family. Family isn't always blood, Avry. I know because you had none that you've always felt like you'll never have any again, but you do. Caddesca was your family. Luke. Leia. Even Ben at one point. And me, okay? You're not alone." Han pulled her into a tight hug, and Avry cried gently into his shoulder.

Finn watched them from around the corner, his heart sinking when he realized that what Avry was feeling was similar to how he felt. They were both similar in a lot of ways and neither one of them had said anything about it yet. He was taken away from the family he could've known by the First Order and was trained for one thing. She lost her family as a baby and was taken in by Luke's new order and trained to become a jedi.

The young man took a few steps, alerting Han and Avry to his presence. Han pulled away from the hug, meeting Finn's eyes and catching the hint that the boy had heard everything. Avry lifted her hand to wipe her wet cheeks, trying to laugh her pain off when she saw Finn.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered to him and Finn shook his head. He offered her his hand,"You have nothing to be sorry about. You're not alone, Avry. We're going to destroy this base and get Rey back. Then we're going to go home. All together." Finn declared, looking between both of them. Avry smiled as she reached over and squeezed Finn's hand.

"Come on, big deal, let's go save the day." Han smirked at the boy before moving to put on a thicker coat before exiting the Falcon.

* * *

An officer approached Kylo Ren, and the sith lord paused in his pace to allow the man to speak. Rey escaping was not good for him, especially after his supreme leader had ordered for him to deliver the girl to him. Ren could already imagine what this meant, as he was no fool. This was the possibility that Rey was stronger than him and if she was stronger than him, Snoke would dispose of him. He knew if she became his pupil, he would be rendered useless in the eyes of the master he depended on.

"Sir, she was not found in Hangar 718." He had to admit, the news was disappointed. But he wouldn't lose his temper again. "But all troops are on alert." The office added. "Put every hangar on lockdown." He ordered, knowing if he trapped the girl that he could find her more easily despite the large size of the base.

"She's going to try to steal a ship to esc..." Ren trailed off as he felt a familiar presence. He whipped his head behind him, feeling that the person was so close that they were practically breathing down his neck.

Kylo Ren felt a little surprise to see no one there, but then his stomach dropped when he realized who he sensed. "Han Solo..." He said softly. The man's heart stopped when someone else's presence got closer.

"Avry."

* * *

It was _too_ cold on this planet. Even with her cloak wrapped around her, hood pulled over her hair, Avry was still freezing down to her bones. She wasn't the only one, as Chewie kept complaining despite the fact he was a big ball of fur. Finn and Han didn't look too entertained with the wookiee's complaints, and they enjoyed themselves even less when Avry joined in on the complaining.

Finn stopped, hiding his figure behind the structure as he peered over. "The flooding tunnel is over that ridge." He explained, looking back at his three companion. "We'll get in that way." Finn finished. Chewie held up his bowcaster as he looked off in the distance in case there was any patrols around this area.

Han furrowed his brows as he looked at Finn, almost forgetting that he had never really asked. "What was your job when you were based here?" The smuggler asked, wondering what the former troop could've been in charge of that would qualify knowing how to disable the shields.

"Sanitation." Finn replied, his eyes still on the tunnels that they were to make their way in through. Han's face dropped as the old man grabbed a firm hold of the boy's shoulder and whirled him around. He pushed Finn back against the structure, with such a loud thud that Avry was about to lecture him.

"Sanitation?" Han growled as he stared down the boy. Chewie moaned and cut off his friend's anger for a moment. The man decided to ignore his furry friend however, continuing to address Finn. "Then how do you know how to disable the shields?" He demanded to know.

The young man looked at him, before his eyes shifted to Avry. Her arms were already crossed over her chest and honestly Finn couldn't tell if she was on his side or Han's. "He doesn't." Avry spoke up which made Han whip around to look at her. He raised both brows in anger,"You knew?!" The man exclaimed as she shrugged her shoulders, her eyes falling on Finn.

She was on his side. Thank goodness.

"I'm just here to get Rey." Finn admitted, his eyes soft. Han didn't look like he was going to ease up on him however. "People are counting on us. The _galaxy_ is counting on us." He reminded the boy, his voice dripping with urgency so that Finn wouldn't forget the stakes here. Finn tried to assure the man,"Solo, we'll figure it out." He began, his eyes coming into realization as an idea dawned onto him. "We'll use the force."

Han couldn't believe what he was hearing from him. Finn was a former trooper, and he clearly didn't know how the force worked. But his level of understanding was worse than Han's had been when he was just a smuggler before meeting Luke. "That's not how the force works!" He pointed out.

Chewie growled in annoyance to their bickering, knowing he didn't want to be out in the cold any longer. "Oh, really? You're cold?" Han turned around to talk to the wookiee and Chewie just grumbled at the tone Han had used with him.

"Han, they're both right. It's freezing cold out here... and we will use the force." Avry said, standing by Finn's side quite literally and figuratively. Finn smiled at the girl, glad she was there to have his back about saving Rey. "Come on." He urged the group before taking off running in the direction of the tunnels.

* * *

"Hey!" The poor stormtrooper didn't stand a chance. He was blown directly away by Chewie's blast from his bowcaster, and landed onto the floor with a thump. Han threw off his coat and scarf, thankful to be back into a heated environment instead of outside in that tundra. Avry lowered her hood and adjusted her cloak so that it wasn't tucked around her body like a blanket anymore.

Han looked around, noticing there was no other troops around. He was relieved this wasn't immediately going to be an all out shoot out, but he knew that didn't last forever. Especially when this base was crawling with troopers. "The longer we're here the less luck we're gonna have." The man pointed out.

Remembering their main goal, he looked to Finn. "The shields." He reminded, knowing that the only way he was going to be okay with saving Rey was if they disabled the shields first and then went to get her. "I have an idea about that." Finn looked to Avry.

She raised a brow at him but the look in her eyes convinced Finn she already knew what he was thinking. "This is the only time I'm going to thank you for doing that. Can you do that to other people? Maybe influence their thoughts or something instead of just reading them?" He asked. Han frowned when he realized what the boy was asking of her. "It's called a jedi mind trick. She can do it... but she really shouldn't." He answered, which made Finn a little confused when he noticed how uncomfortable the other man had gotten.

"Ignore him. He's just paranoid about them because Leia used it on him once." Avry explained before she took her lightsaber out. She fit the saber into her blaster holster and then looked up at Finn. "Lead the way. I'll do what you ask." She assured him. Finn nodded his head as they went off to sneak around the base.

Luckily for them they managed to avoid detection despite the fact that guard duty had doubled. Finn thought it was a little weird, considering the fact they never doubled the guard duty unless they were under attack or a prisoner escaped. But no alarm had sounded and while everyone was on alert, they were not rushing to stop anybody. Which meant whatever it was, was contained yet still a danger.

He almost wanted to question what it was, maybe do a little investigating. But he had to lead Avry to his former captain if this was going to work. Finn stopped as he looked around the corner, recognizing the silvery shine from the woman's armor. He pushed himself back quickly before giving Chewie the signal.

Finn tried not to laugh as the big wookiee took down Phasma. But the boy couldn't deny the cheerful grin that came onto his face to see the captain pinned down underneath a fuzzball. "I've decided that today is a good day. I have a _good_ feeling about this." Finn leaned over to tell Avry. The girl furrowed her brows as she turned to look at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Something about that last sentence just seemed one word off to her.

"You remember me?" Finn moved in front of the woman the moment Han and Chewie brought her up onto her feet. Chewie aimed his bowcaster at the woman, meanwhile Han his blaster raised. Avry ripped the blaster out of the captain's hands and smirked at Phasma as she aimed it at her helmet. "FN-2187." She spoke, and Finn glared at the way that even held at blaster point she still managed to condescend him.

And it still managed to get to him.

"Not anymore." He corrected her, knowing this was the moment he could finally get above the woman that had made his training a living hell. "The name's Finn and I'm in charge. I'm in charge now, Phasma. I'm in charge." He got a little too excited and Han looked at him. "Bring it down. Bring it down." The man whispered gently, which got his attention. Finn listened to him as he took a quick breath before looking back to Phasma with stern eyes.

"Follow me." Finn said, turning on his heels and led the way.

Phasma was reluctant to follow but the wookiee behind her poked the back of her armor with his bowcaster and she frowned when she realized she had no choice. The woman moved forward and followed behind one of her former trainees. It disappointed her greatly to see such a star pupil go off to the rebels, but Phasma was never surprised by this. She always knew Finn was too weak. He was too good.

The captain began to recognize the surroundings of the base when Finn led the group further down. She almost stopped when she realized their plan. "You're going to disable the shields." Phasma pointed out, and Finn paused in his tracks as he turned around to look at her. "No, Phasma. You are." His words were a clear threat and Finn met Avry's eyes with a smirked.

She could tell he was enjoying this too much.

Finn stopped the group as they reached the door, and he gestured for Phasma to do the honors. Han signaled for the three to go off to the sides so that when the door opened they wouldn't bee seen. All of them took their lead and pressed their backs against the wall, blasters still aimed at Phasma. The captain went cold when the doors opened and saw two of her troopers turning around to look at her.

"Get out your weapons, they're here to–" Before the captain could finish her warning, Avry had already shot down the two stormtroopers using Phasma's own blaster. Phasma whipped her head around and glared at the girl as she raised her brows before piling herself into the room. She gestured to the screen with the blaster. "The shields." Avry told her.

The woman frowned as she moved and sat down. She didn't want to do this, knowing that disabling the shields could very well lead to an attack on the base planned by the rebels they sought to eradicate. All four of them aimed their blasters at her, and Phasma turned to her side to realize Avry was besides her. The captain expected a threat with the weapon so she was surprised when Avry lowered it.

"You will lower the shields." Avry spoke gently, but her tone was still firm. Phasma began to say no to the girl and yet couldn't hear the words leave her mouth. It was like something came over her and her mind couldn't think for itself anymore. "I will lower the shields." Phasma found herself saying against her own true will, and she couldn't help but did exactly what the girl had asked of her.

Finn looked impressed as Phasma began to press the controls to disable the shields. "That's so cool." He looked at Avry with an impressed smile. Han grew uncomfortable again as he moved forward to close the doors in case any trooper or officer decided to walk by.

"It's so _not_ cool." The man muttered, almost shuddering at the memory of what it felt like to be controlled like that. He had to admit though that it was probably cooler on the other side of it.

"Solo, if this works we're not gonna have a lot of time to find Rey." Finn reminded him, knowing that Han had promised him so he expected the man to keep his end of the deal. The doors shut closed, and Han turned around to look at him. He nodded his head as he moved towards the boy,"Don't worry, kid. We won't leave here without her." Han assured him, giving Finn one of his famous lop-sided smiles.

A few beeps sounded before Phasma retained her own will again. Her mind was dizzy as she rushed to her feet, and the captain turned around to glare at all of them. "You can't be so stupid to think this will be easy. My troops will storm this block and kill you all." The woman threatened.

She was about to continue wen Finn slid up next to her, his blaster pointed directly at her helmet. "I disagree." He told the captain firmly, kind of wishing she had the helmet off so he could see the look on Phasma's face. He bet it was priceless. "What do we do with her?" Finn questioned, looking back at the three.

Han took a step forward as a brilliant idea came over him. Sweet _sweet_ payback. It might have been more than thirty years, but he couldn't hide the fact that it would still be absolutely amazing to see his revenge finally play out for real.

"Is there a garbage chute? Trash compactor?" Both of his eyebrows raised as he questioned Finn. The boy seemed to get his idea, and seemed to enjoy it just as much despite the fact he didn't know the backstory like Chewie and Avry did.

"Yeah, there is."

* * *

Hux couldn't help but think about Whaoli. He had his duty to think about, orders given to him that he had to follow. The Resistance had to be destroyed no matter what and the weapon was their best shot at it. He couldn't just leave his post to go worry about a girl he barely knew, so instead Hux just paced in the control room, worrying about a girl he barely knew.

"Fighters incoming!" One of the officers yelled, and Hux froze in his pacing. He had managed to keep himself composed despite his worry for Whaoli, but there was a small twitch that came from the general when he heard the officer.

The general approached the windows, seeing the rebel fighters from where he was standing. They were targeting the central power core for the weapon, information they could've only gotten from one of their own. He cursed underneath his breath when he realized it must've been the trooper that had assisted the rebel. FN-2187, or whatever his name was.

Every officer in the control room was shouting as sirens began to ring throughout the base, signaling to the attack. Hux turned on his heel, looking to Colonel Datoo, knowing he was awaiting the order from him to counterattack. "Dispatch all squadrons." He ordered.

"Yes, General." The colonel replied before heading off to deliver his orders. Hux turned back to watch the action in the sky before he clenched his fists as his eyes showed his concern. If they were under attack, he couldn't get Whaoli to an escape pod without the risk of her being shot down. But if he kept her locked up, the risk could be even greater if the rebels managed to succeed.

He made a decision, perhaps an irreversible one. A point of no return type of decision. The general walked past many of his officers but stopped at the ones who were in charge of the weapon. "If I'm not back, fire once it's done charging. I need to step out for a moment." He said simply and the officers nodded at his order.

The general had to keep calm as he walked out, his hands tucked behind his back. But his knuckles were white as his fingers wrapped around each other. He fought the urge to run straight to Whaoli and break her out of that cell. He had a plan to get her out of there and being able to sneak her by undetected, but he felt the need to hurry to get her to that point.

Once he was out of sight from any officer or trooper, Hux picked up his pace as he unclenched his hands from behind his back. He did break out into a mild jog as he went off to the cell block to collect the Chalactan girl he had grown so fond of. Hux didn't stop his speed until he reached right outside of her cell. He caught his breath for a second, knowing that his mild jog had turned into a full on run with each second he got closer to her cell.

Whaoli stood up when the cell door opened, meeting the general's eyes. At first, the girl was surprised to see him again, which was a minor blow to Hux. He took it as a sign that she didn't believe that he would come back for her, but that's not why she was surprised. She was surprised because she realized the feeling she had got when the door slid open. It was unusual, mostly because it was a feeling her father always joked about her once feeling one day when she was older.

She took a hesitant step forward, not breaking eye contact. Neither one of them said something, nor smile. They just looked at each other nervously and each waited for the other to make the first move. Hux parted his lips to say something, just as he felt the girl's arms wrap around his neck. "Armitage." Her breath was so close to his lips when she spoke, mostly because she was _leaning_ in.

Hux wished he had more experience to realize what she was doing sooner than he did. Not that he hadn't had any experience at all, but everything he had felt with Whaoli was new to him. She pressed her lips to his, her eyes fluttering shut as her body collided with his. Hux almost stumbled back on impact but quickly caught himself.

At first, he just stared at her relaxed expression when she kissed him, but it felt weird doing that so he closed his eyes gently as she kissed him. Whaoli pulled away after a moment, her face turning a shade of crimson when she realized what she had just down. She moved her arms away from him and took a few steps back. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"W-we have to get you out of here." The man stuttered, blushing a little when he realized that she had altered his perfectly calm speech into a fumbling mess. Hux tried to shrug it off however, and especially shrug off what she had just done. This was no time to address how he was feeling. He took a hold of her hand and pulled her out of the cell. Whaoli stumbled a bit, in complete shock that she was finally outside of the cell.

The general looked down at her, noticing how short she was this close to him. She must've gone up on her tip toes to kiss him. Just when he noticed he was thinking about the very thing he shouldn't be thinking about in a jail break, he whipped his head away to check if any guards were around.

"I have a plan. Stay close and... trust me." Hux knew he was asking a lot of her. Despite the kiss, she still had no reason to put her life into his hands. The general almost cursed out loud when he realized he was thinking about the kiss again. He pushed the thought away again as he closed the cell door again. Hux led her down the hall, turning a corner. Her hand was still tucked tightly into his hand's hold as they made their way around.

He stopped suddenly at the sound of marching, and held out his arm. Whaoli bumped into his arm, raising her brows as she looked up at him. The man lifted his arm and pressed his index finger to his lips. Hux then moved his hand from his lips to gently guide her against the wall. They hid behind the corner as the general walked his troops march past them.

Hux had to admit, he was proud at the fact they never broke formation to notice them. Even if that was a flaw and a perk at the same time.

Once they had passed and their marching became distant, Hux moved forward. He felt a tug on his hand when Whaoli paused in her walking. The man turned around and furrowed his brows at her. "Whaoli, what are you doing?" Hux questioned her. She didn't meet his eyes at first, but when she did he realized why she had stopped.

She was _scared_. Her bottom lip was trembling and her brown eyes were filled with tears. Hux loosened his grip on her hand as he faced her, using his free hand to gently take her chin between his thumb and index finger. He lifted her chin so her face was tilted upwards towards him. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm right here." He assured her, his eyes flickering down to her lips.

When he realized that there was no way that he would ever get his mind off that kiss, he moved to cup her cheeks with both hands. "Fuck it." He whispered before crashing his lips against hers. It was Whaoli's turn now to stumble back with her eyes wide open as he kissed her. But sooner than he did, she relaxed into this kiss and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Whaoli smiled as they continued to kiss before she had to pull away to take a breath. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up in surprise at the general. "Wow... okay... that happened. Twice." She realized, smiling excitedly and nervously at the same time as she kept her arms wrapped around him. Hux smiled as he reached over to smooth down her black hair.

"You scared still?" Hux couldn't help but retain the smile on his face as he asked her. She clearly saw the concern in his eyes though, and Whaoli smirked as little as she looked up at him. "I don't know. Maybe you need to do that again and then I'll decide." She teased. The general was a little surprised to hear that from a simple farm girl, but simply rolled his eyes as he moved out of her embrace. "Later. We need to get you into a stromtrooper uniform."

Her eyes went wide at his response. "A _what_?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hahaha... title drop. I hope you awesome readers enjoyed this chapter! I have so much feelings over fatherly Han, you have no idea.**

 **Also we're reaching the end of this story (SADNESS) but I wanted to tell you guys of my lovely future plans for this fic. I'm planning a prequel story for young Avry and Ben which introduces Caddesca as a main character. I'm also planning a Whaoli and Hux spinoff that takes place after TFA and includes Whaoli being a BAMF rebel fighter. If these things excite you, please let me know!**


	11. Reunion

Finn checked to see if the coast was clear, and as soon as it was, he led the other three members of his team. This was finally it. They were breaking free Rey and Finn couldn't contain his nerves. Or his excitement, but he'd wait for that to get out once the girl was safe in his line of sight once more. And when she was, he'd make sure she would never get capture ever again.

It was a mistake to leave in the first place and let that happen to her.

"We'll use the charges to blow that blast door. I'll go in and draw fire, but I'm gonna need cover." Finn suggested, already spilling out tactics worthy of his soldier training. Han looked back at the boy. He trusted the wookiee who had already far a galactic war to know what he was doing. And Han trusted himself that he would look out for Avry no matter what. But Finn was a different story, and he didn't know if the boy could handle this type of prison break.

"You sure you're up for this?" He questioned. Finn's eyes went soft," _Hell no_." At least he was honest. He took a quick breath before continuing,"I'll go in and try to find Rey." Finn assured him, and continued the plan. The troopers will be on our tail. We have to be ready for that." Finn reminded the smuggler.

The older man's eyes settled on something, while Avry suddenly felt a shift in the force. She whipped her head around to notice what Han was looking at. Han nodded his head small to catch Finn's attention, but it wasn't working. "There's an access tunnel that leads–" Finn finally stopped with another couple of nods from Han.

The boy didn't get it. He didn't even notice the excited look on Avry's face. "Why are you doing that? Hmm? Why are you doing this?" Finn imitated the older man's nodding jokingly, before getting back to the issue at hand. "I'm trying to come up with a plan." Finn pointed out. Han smirked a little as he tapped the boy's shoulder with his blaster before gesturing behind him.

 _Rey_.

Was he so stupid that he didn't notice before?

Finn knew she was close but though that was only because they were about to break her out. He whipped his head around to look at the three with a grin on his face. Now his excitement could no longer be held within. Finn let out a laugh of relief before he gestured for them to follow. "Come on!" He led.

Based on Finn's knowledge of the base, she was on the other side. Which did take them some time to find a connecting bridged and cross without being spotted. It also helped that when the moment came when they were almost spotted, Avry used a jedi mind trick so they wouldn't be. Han gave her a quick and disapproving look, but she knew if he had the power he would use it too.

The reunion with Rey wasn't exactly what all four of them hand in mind.

They didn't expect for the brunette to turn the corner and yelp with her blaster pointed towards them. Rey looked at them all in shock, not believing her eyes that they were all here in Starkiller Base. Han was the first one to settle down from the shock,"You alright?" He asked the girl. Her eyes settled on him before she answered. "Yeah." Rey nodded her head a little. "Good." Han replied. Finn couldn't keep his concern bottled up, as a million questions rushed through his head to ask her.

"What happened to you? Did he hurt you?" The boy questioned quickly. Rey couldn't help but furrow her brows, still in shock that he was actually here. "Finn, what are you doing here?" She questioned. "We came back for you." Finn explained, gesturing a little towards Han, Chewie, and Avry. Chewie exclaimed something in his native tongue, which luckily Rey was able to speak. "What'd he say?" Finn asked, briefly looking back at the furry creature before looking to Rey once more. The girl's eyes softened,"That is was your idea." Rey translated.

She didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug. Avry couldn't help but smile as she watched the two reunite. "Thank you." Rey whispered into Finn's ear. Finn smiled into the hug before one of his other questions were voiced. "How did you get away?" He asked her softly. "I can't explain it. And you wouldn't believe it. But maybe Avry could." Rey said, her eyes catching the redhead's.

Avry furrowed her brows just as Han appeared at the side of the hug. "Escape now, hug later." He warned the two. Rey pulled away from the hug and nodded her head. Han took the lead with Chewie this time, figuring out that he knew the way back to the exit in which they came through in. Avry couldn't help but take Rey's side as they went off.

"What did you mean by I could believe it?" Avry questioned the younger girl, who paused in her pace and waited until the other three were just a few feet away before answering her. "I saw something. I don't know how, but I did. Avry, you were younger–" She stopped her before Rey could even finish. The brunette gave her a confused look, but soon realized it was because Avry knew what she was talking about.

"Rey, I–"

"He still loves you." Rey answered quickly.

Rey wasn't the biggest fan of the sith lord, but that scared little boy who's memory she felt was not the same person as the one who tried to force his way into her mind. In the end, she had done the same thing to him. Did that make her any better? Rey tried to convince herself that she was better, and even if she had been determined to hurt him in that moment, it had backfired on her when she found out something she shouldn't.

No reply came from the redhead right away. Instead Avry was trying to process what the girl had told her, not sure if she believed it was the truth or not. Avry didn't believe for one second that Rey would lie, but she did believe that Kylo Ren could lie. Even Ben lied to her once or twice when they were kids. But he did that protect to her, and Kylo Ren could be doing this to hurt her.

"Rey, I don't think he does." Avry admitted her doubts, making the other girl frown sadly. "Avry... you didn't see what I saw. I went after his fears and while the first one I found was great– this one of you was greater." She explained, attempting to get her to understand. Avry still didn't know if she believed Rey, and could hardly meet the other girl's eyes. "He's afraid of you getting hurt. I saw it. When the tree came right at you, he rushed in to save you." Rey mentioned.

The memory she was describing sparked her own memory as she realized what moment Rey had seen. It was their first kiss. A memory Avry had held so dear in her mind for ages, and she realized that he had held on to it too.

Before she could say anything else, Han noticed that the two hadn't immediately followed him. He stopped and turned around to notice their heart to heart not too far away. He nodded his head forward and Rey and Avry shared one last look before the two girls picked up their walking again to follow them. They did have to escape now and there was no way they could avoid that. The conversation could wait until they got back onto the Falcon.

The five of them arrived as the elevator they first arrived in. Han made sure everyone got on before pressing the button to close the doors. Chewie picked up the smuggler's coat, handing it to the human with a wookiee whine.

Once they got outside, they were hit with the cold air once again. Avry immediately shivered, so loud that it caught the attention of Chewie who draped an arm around her momentarily. The wookiee pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away. He moaned to ask her if that was better. "Yes. Thank you, Chewie." Avry thanked the wookiee as they continued on.

Shots were being fired in the air above them, and all five of them watched as rebels were being shot down. Han frowned as he realized their work wasn't done here and that they could still use some help. "They're in trouble. We can't leave." Han decided before looking back at the others. His eyes fell on the tall wookiee. "My friend's got a bag full of explosives. Let's use them."

* * *

Divide and conquer. That was the plan.

It was easy for Avry to split up from Rey and Finn, especially after everything they had been through over the few days but she knew that they were capable of handling themselves without her. Besides, it would be good to be with old friends. She looked to Han before opened the doors and he raised his brows at her as she got out her blaster. "You ready?" He asked her, making sure the girl was alright. Once she gave him a quick nod, the man pressed the button to open the doors.

They swished open, and Han raised his blaster and fired immediately. Chewie followed with his bowcaster. Avry shot close to one of the two stormtroopers they were facing off but made no direct hit. They back into the corner before any of the three could shoot them down. Another trooper appeared and Han was quick to shoot that one down. He hid the corner and Avry followed in suit and shot one of the other troopers down.

Chewie took care of the last one, and Han looked back at the wookiee before gesturing for them to push forward. He took off his heavier coat once again, throwing it down along with his scarf. Avry slipped the hood of her cloak off her hair and looked down at the discarded jacket. "Do you have no respect for winter clothes or something?" She asked him. "You try spending time on Hoth and you'll see why." Han commented before moving forward.

"Excuse you, I've been to Hoth before." It had been a part of her training, and she could still remember how cold it was. That planet was definitely colder than Starkiller Base was so she didn't exactly blame Han, but it was still reckless to just drop your coat anywhere. When she took off her cloak, it always fit in her satchel.

Han ignored her comment and moved towards the door. If this plan worked, Rey should be able to open the doors based on Finn's knowledge of how the base worked. The three waited until the door lifted open and all the ones after that. "Girl knows her stuff." Han said, briefly looking to Avry before taking the lead. Chewie moaned a comment and followed after them. Avry paused for a moment before following them.

She frowned as something felt wrong, like danger was nearing. "I have a bad feeling about this." Avry whispered, but it wasn't caught by either Han or Chewie. She decided to shake the feeling before joining them. The three made their way into an open space, standing on the metallic bridge that ran along the side of the structure. It probably went on forever below but at least Avry could see the top from where they entered.

"We'll set the charges against every other column." Han suggested, trying to figure out how the best way to use the bombs were. They wanted maximum damage so they could do all they needed to in order to help the rebel fleet above them. Chewie moaned, suggesting another option. "You're right. That's a better idea. You take the top. I'll go down below. Avry, you work here." Han divided up everyone's assignment before he took out the device. He handed it to the wookie,"Detonator." The man explained. Han looked around the structure before his eyes settled back on the two,"We'll meet back here." He informed them.

As he made his way down the stairs, Avry stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her questioningly but the girl hesitated to answer him right away. "You said will not leave this planet without me. Well, it goes both ways. Okay, Han?" She said quiet, meeting his eyes. Even if she had grown up, her blue eyes were still the same as the day he met her. Han reached up and gently patted the hand that was on his shoulder.

"I know." He told her, giving her a weak smile before he continued down the stairs.

 _I know_. Avry knew what it meant, of course. She had sat down with Ben while he talked of his parents and their great love story. He always used to romanticize that maybe that they would be as great as them one day, but she always hesitated to believe that. Maybe Rey was right about what she said.

Maybe he still loved her.

She shook the thought off, focusing at the task at hand. The explosives. Avry looked through her satchel for the charges before she determined the best places to put them. She moved around nimbly and set the devices up strategically in order for the structure to collapse when they went off. She had only a few charges left when she heard the doors open. She froze at the sight of stormtroopers that didn't see her right away, but it was the sight of Kylo Ren who made her blood run cold.

"Find them." Ren ordered his troopers.

The girl couldn't let any of the stormtroopers notice her and even less, she couldn't let Kylo Ren notice that she was there. He could use the force and she was surprised he hadn't already noticed when her guard was down. But now that her guard was up, she knew how to hide for him. Even if it was just for a little bit in order to get to Han or Chewie.

Kylo Ren waited until his squad had gone out of sight, before he tapped into the force. They were near. His father and... Avry. He could still feel her faintly though apparently the girl had noticed him because she was trying to block him from detecting her. She couldn't forever and was bound to let her guard down eventually.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a green kyber crystal. It belonged to the weapon he had destroyed. A weapon that had meant so much to him over the years because it reminded him of Avry and what he had done. He thought it fueled him to the dark side, but now he realized why he always felt so torn.

It was because she was alive and as long as she was alive, the boy he used to be would be too.

Avry slipped down a latter, going to the floor below. She didn't know how far down Han went but she needed to find him and she needed to do it quick before a trooper found him or even worse, before his son found him. Avry dreaded to think of their reunion, mostly because she had nightmares about it in the past and it wasn't something she was willing to go through in real life. The redhead soon caught up with the man, bumping into him.

Han had just finished setting the last charge he had and was preparing to meet up with Avry and Chewie. His eyes went a little wide when the girl decided to meet up with him instead down below. "Av–" She cut him off by slamming the palm of her hand down on his mouth. "Troopers. A whole lot of them." Avry explained, taking her hand off his mouth and pulling him around a corner just as troopers began down the stairs. The place was swarming with every soldier in the white armor and they were all looking for her, Han, and Chewie. They might have been together but Chewie was still unaccounted for.

The man gestured silently, and then grabbed a hold of Avry's hand. Even if he was sure that she would follow, he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk anything happening to her when his back was turned. He did consider her family after all. "Stay quiet, and stay with me. We'll get out of here." He briefly turned back to whisper that to her.

It wasn't hard to slip past the troopers into the level below, but the troopers didn't have what Kylo Ren had. As soon as Han spoke to her, her guard dropped for a bit because the man had always managed to make her feel safe. The minute it dropped, somebody detected them.

Ren made his way down, ignoring his troopers as he looked around. Here, he was convinced as he made his way down the stairs. Kylo Ren reached the floor he detected them on and looked around. They were right there. He was intensely certain about it. The sith lord shifted his gaze before he clenched his fists. He could feel that they were close but he couldn't see them.

Unbeknownst to him, Kylo Ren had moved right past them.

Avry was quick to realize her guard had dropped and once she did, her and Han concealed themselves in a narrow chamber set in a wall. They waited until Ren passed them, but Han couldn't help himself as he leaned himself out of the hiding spot to look at the young man from behind. The moment his hand slipped out of hers, Avry was reminded of the danger she had always been afraid of ever since the massacre.

There was no way she could let her worst nightmares come true. There was no way she could let Han near him. But the way the older man's eyes softened at the sight of his son, Avry wondered if she could really do it. If she could stop him from at least trying. Maybe she couldn't do it. Maybe she didn't have the heart to. She knew she didn't have the heart to stop Kylo Ren the last time she saw him.

She wouldn't have the heart now.

But heart or not, as soon as Han ran forward after the other man as he made his way down the bridge that connected to the other side, she realized what she had to do. Han might finally be standing up instead of retreating like he always did and while Avry was proud of the man for stepping up like that, she couldn't allow him to put himself into danger like that. But to put herself into danger like that, while Han might not forgive her, she would. Avry would forgive herself if it meant paying back for all the things he had sacrificed for her.

Han had done so much for her and she didn't even have to ask that of him. Her eyes fell to the cloak she was wearing. It was Luke's. But Han was the one who wrapped it around her shoulders. He was there for her when Luke _abandoned_ her. Han had always been right. He had always cared for her when no one else did and she had the chance to prove that he wasn't wrong to help her.

This was what the force saved her for. Maybe Han was right about it. Maybe the force saved her so she could save ben. No more hesitations filled her, as she pushed Han back before he could call to his son. Instead, she would be the one to do it. If anyone died out of the two, Avry was determined that it would be her and not Han.

"BEN!"

It echoed across the structure, her loud voice was booming across the open air catching anyone's attention who was in there. A trooper took notice and took aim on the girl from up above. Chewie heard the echo of Avry's voice and looked down to see the girl far below. Han was in shock to realize that Avry had yelled the very thing he was going to yell.

Before she could take another step forward in front of him, Han reached out and grabbed her arm. Avry paused for a moment and looked back at him with tears in her eyes. She had to be strong, even if she didn't have the heart to do what she had just gotten herself into.

She gently removed his hand from her arm and took a step forward. Kylo Ren had paused in his tracks at the sound of her voice. He slowly turned around to see her standing at the start of the bridge and his father was not too far behind. "Han Solo." He stared at the older man. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Kylo Ren admitted. His eyes then shifted to the girl who had called out his real name.

Many years he wondered what their reunion would be like if she had survived. He had convinced himself that she didn't survive, only because he thought it would be better if Avry had really been dead. Ren never accounted on kissing her the moment they finally talked after the massacre, and he never accounted on how drastically his feelings could change on their next reunion.

He might've kissed her then, but her wouldn't do it now. In order to finally stop his suffering from being torn apart he knew that there was only two choices he could make. He could go with Avry, or he could end her once and for all.

"Avry Fayar. It's nice to see you again." Kylo Ren commented, though his voice was dripping with sarcasm no matter what the helmet did to distort his voice. Avry tried to remember that she had to stay strong and she took a few hesitant steps on the bridge to go closer to the man she once loved. Maybe even still loved. She did. She still loved him.

Up above, the doors opened. Finn and Rey entered the structure, letting in the light from outside. The pair looked down to notice that Avry was approaching the sith lord and Rey furrowed her brows in concerned. Even if the brunette had told her that he still loved her, Rey still believed he was a dangerous man. He was far from the boy from his memory and the man he was now clearly could not be trusted. Finn sent her a look, catching onto her concerned look. It only made him worry.

"Ben... take off the mask. We both know you don't need it." Avry pointed out as she got closer. Ren knew it was true, for Avry had already seen him without it once when he tried to convince her to join him back on Takodana. His gaze shifted back to his father. "What do you think he'll see if I do take it off?" He posed the question and the girl rolled her eyes at little.

Despite the name change, he still looked like himself. He was still Ben. Underneath the helmet and everything he did to hide that fact. Kylo Ren was _still_ Ben Solo. "The face of his son." Avry insisted. He decided to give in, knowing he could still shock some of the people in the structure despite the fact Avry had already seen him. And Rey. He lifted the helmet off.

"His son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father. So I destroyed him." Ren spat out, his anger mixing into his voice. It was a shock for Han to see the face of his son after all this time. It was the first time he had seen him as a grown man– and it jolted him. Avry took a few steps forward and shook her head. "That's what Snoke wants you to believe. But it's not true. You're right here and I see you. I know that you're still here. I felt in the way you kissed me." She told him.

Ren shook his had,"No. The Supreme Leader is wise." He defended. Avry frowned as she made her way closer,"Snoke is using you for your power." She switched the table on him, moving even closer towards him,"When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you." Avry finished. Ren unintentionally took a step back, only because Avry was at an arm's length now and he didn't know to think anymore.

He was hesitating on everything he thought he was prepared to do.

"You know it's true." She said, and this close Ren could finally notice she had tears in her eyes. He didn't know how to feel about realizing that after all this time and after everything he had done to her, she still cared about him. Avry still cared and was trying to save him. His eyes filled with tears as he let his emotions get the best of him. "It's too late." He mumbled.

"No, it's not. Leave here with me. Come home to your family. To me. They miss you. I miss you." She was quick to her response, taking a final step closer to him.

Looking him into the eyes, Avry did see it. She saw the struggle but mostly she saw the good that was still in him. "I–" Kylo Ren began but he couldn't seem to find the right words. Instead he thought back to their last meeting and his eyes flickered to her lips. "I offered for you to come with me. I told you I would know when you made your decision and I do. You'll never join the dark side. But you're convinced that I can join you." He pointed out the exact thing she was doing right now.

Instead of denying it, Avry nodded her head. "You can join me. It's not too late, Ben." She assured him but Kylo Ren didn't find it very reassuring. He struggled to keep his emotions at bay but around her they spilled out everywhere. "I'm being torn apart." His voice broke apart when he admitted it. "I want to be free of this pain." Ren got a little anger when the tears built up into his eyes.

His eyes softened when they met hers. "I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it." Ren said, before he reached out and took her hand in his. "Will you help me? He asked softly. Avry nodded her head and leaned in,"Yes. Anything." She answered him hopefully. His eyes shifted down to the helmet in his other hand and Kylo Ren dropped it. It clanked onto the bridge and sent a loud echo throughout the structure.

Ren reached to his belt and took his lightsaber out before holding it out to Avry. With her free hand, she reached forward and took a hold of it. Just as she did, the light was outside disappeared as darkness took hold. The weapon was finished charging and there was no more sun in the sky.

Avry looked up from the saber to meet his eyes, and leaned in closer once more to kiss him softly on the lips. He was a little surprised by her gesture but didn't deny it, and kept a hold of her hand and the saber like she kept a hold of his hand and the saber. Then it came back to her. The bad feeling. She realized why the bad feeling appeared to her in the first place.

This was familiar. Had she dreamed of this before? Or had she experienced it? The force was trying to tell her something before it was too late. Avry's eyes opened despite the kiss and she suddenly realized what was going on, and she hoped it wasn't too late when the lightsaber switched on.

* * *

 **A/N: OH HO HO! I'm so evil. I'm so sorry. What a cliffhanger. I'm really so sorry. Ugh. My emotions while writing this was all over the place I cannot with my feels right now.**


	12. Not Done Yet

No. _No_. This was Han's worst nightmare. He had tried to stop her. He had taken a hold of her arm, but when she looked back at him he couldn't find himself saying no to her. Not only did Avry love his son, but he also spent many years convinced that she survived because she would be the one to save him from the dark side. When she talked to him, it really did look convincing. He was starting to feel a hope he hadn't felt in a long time.

But then the sky went dark, and Kylo Ren switched on his lightsaber. That's when Avry started screaming. Chewie yelled out in distress over the act while Rey watched above in horror. The girl stumbled back a bit, feeling affected just as much as Avry,"NO!" She screamed out. Han stepped onto the bridge and didn't hesitate to run towards the young woman in pain.

Kylo Ren looked down at his saber which they both still had their hands on. When he switched it on, he expected it to go right through Avry's body. She had seen it coming however and ripped away from the kiss just as the lightsaber switched on. Ren looked down to see she was using her force to hold it down, but his lightsaber was different from the light one she was trained with. She couldn't push it down all that way, so the tip of the lightsaber was burning into her abdomen.

Avry's fingers moved until she found the switch and turned it off. She let go, stumbling back straight into the arms of Han Solo. The old man caught her, putting both arms underneath her arms as she fell back. Avry tilted her head up at him,"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Han looked down at her to realize the saber had burned a hole through her shirt and the gash was charred and bleeding out. He watched her with concerned eyes, only thinking back to a time when she was a teenager and his wife carried the unconscious girl. Avry was in worse shape then, bleeding out so much that Han thought he was dead when he saw her. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it had been after the massacre but it was still the same person's fault.

His eyes moved from Avry to his son. Han wanted to look disappointed, because he was disappointed, but it was the same thing he felt all over again back when Ben first betrayed his family. Despite everything he done, and despite what he just tried to do, he was still his son. Han would always love his son.

Chewie howled in anger over the girl being hurt, taking aim with his bowcaster. He had known Avry since she was just a little girl just like he had known Ben. But the little boy he knew was never capable of hurting her. And now he had tried to kill her _twice_. The wookiee sent a shot without another thought. It flew past Han and Avry, hitting Kylo Ren right in his side. He fell to his knees in pain just as shots began firing between both sides.

"I've got to get you out of here." Han looked down at Avry once more, scooping his arm underneath her knees before picking her up. She wrapped her arms around her to keep balanced, tears coming to her eyes as the pain was hitting her. She had almost been speared by the love of her life after all. Avry was trying not to fall into shock.

Chewie, Rey, and Finn were all taking out stormtroopers as Han got Avry out of the crossfires. They both had their weapons on them but were in no position to be fighting with Avry hurt and Han trying to save her life before she really died.

When they got a few floors up, they crossed paths with Chewie. Han gave his friend a small nod and the wookiee pulled out the trigger before pressing it. The entire structure shook as the bombs they had set up began to go off. Kylo Ren looked up at the explosion before his eyes fell on Rey and Finn. The traitor made his anger burned even more. Especially since he was standing right besides the girl who's raw power had bested him. Ren knew his plan didn't work out and that he still had to find Avry.

She was his greatest weakness he would only be free of until she was free of her mortal body.

After pulling the trigger, Chewie, Han, and Avry made it outside in the cold. Han was somehow able to find the exact place he had dropped his jacket and scarf on once more. Despite having no respect for winter clothes, the man never did leave without her. Avry was passed over to Chewie who carried her the rest of the way.

"We need to get to the Falcon. You need to be patched up immediately." Han urged as he adjusted his scarf, his eyes scanning over the darkened snowy forrest. Avry shook her head, still weak. "No. We need to find Finn and Rey because I am not leaving without them." Avry decided, practically ordering him around.

The smuggler frowned at the girl, pointing his finger directly at the spot she was bleeding out in. "You're hurt!" Han yelled at her, very angry with the way she wasn't taking her injury seriously. Avry tapped Chewie's furry arm until the wookiee set her down. She stumbled around in the snow for a moment before catching her balance.

"I died once and I won't do it again. You guys get the Falcon and I'll find Finn and Rey. Remember you're just a no good smuggler so you don't have powers like me." She cracked a joking smile despite holding her arm across her abdomen. Since she used her cloak mainly as a way to stay warm and was partial to vests due to Han's influence, her pale arm soon became stained with red.

"Are you insane? If he finds you, he's going to finish what he's started." Han was worried again instead of being angry, but Avry reached for her blaster before handing it off to him. She met his eyes as Han took the blaster in his hands, a weapon he had once given to her all those years again when he taught her to be a smuggler.

"I'm a jedi, Han. It's time to finish what I started." She said confidently despite her pain. Avry moved her hand away before reaching for her lightsaber. Han looked at her and realized there was no stopping her. She was a jedi after all. "If you get yourself killed–" The man started but she shook her head quickly to cut him off.

She straightened up, looking assertive in spite of the injury she had just suffered. "I'm not going to get killed." Avry said firmly. Han believed her no matter the worry he carried for the girl. He nodded his head and leaned forward, placing his hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Go finish what you started." He encouraged before his eyes shifted over to the wookiee. He nodded his head at Chewie and the pair disappeared among the snow and trees right in the direction of the Falcon. Avry looked down at her lightsaber and knew she couldn't waste her time in trying to locate Finn and Rey. They were her friends and she wouldn't leave them behind no matter how injured she was.

Not too far behind, Finn and Rey were fleeing from the building. They were still both in shock from what they saw. Finn had no idea how far Avry's secrets laid, especially when it came to Kylo Ren. Rey was worried because she blamed herself for the girl getting her. She had been the one after all to tell her that the man still loved her. But she was wrong. Now she knew he was a monster for trying to kill someone he loved. "The Falcon's this way!" Finn called back to Rey as they navigated themselves through the trees. They continued running until both stopped at the sight of a familiar person switching on their lightsaber.

Kylo Ren stood a few feet away. Still bleeding from his injury. He flew into such a rage after everything that happened there was no way he would let anyone get away, especially not Avry. Her friends were better than not finding her at all. His eyes scanned over Finn and Rey,"We're not done yet." Ren called over to him. Behind him another lightsaber switched on, this time it was white opposed to the red glow of his own.

"You're right. We're not." Avry weakly lifted up her saber, the white glow shining upon her face. She still stood strong as she stared the man down. Ren turned his head around to notice her. He almost smirked at the sight of her. She looked so defiant at him, and prepared to fight him. Ren couldn't blame her, convinced she shifted her stance from earlier on from saving him to killing him.

Rey panicked at the sight of the two about to face each other off, her eyes falling onto Avry who was still bleeding out. She couldn't let the other girl fight and die for real this time. "You're a monster." Rey found herself snapping out at Kylo Ren, gaining his attention.

His eyes went back to Rey. Rey raised her blaster immediately, hoping to take him down before he could hurt Avry again. Before she could even get a shot out, Kylo Ren raised his arm and sent the girl back flying in the air. She screamed out as her weapon fell to the grounds away from her hands.

"REY!" Finn yelled out as he reached for the girl but he was too slow. Rey hit a tree, her body going limp as she was knocked out instantaneously. She fell towards the ground, crumpling over onto the snow. Finn ran over to her, dropping his gun and falling onto his knees. "Rey." The young man's hands went to her face and checked for any sign that she was responsive. When she didn't even open her eyes, Finn tried again. "Rey!"

Avry frowned at the sight, knowing the girl only attacked the sith lord to get him away from her. She took a step forward, her foot crunching the snow beneath her. It seemed to get Kylo Ren's attention once more.

"Leave them alone." Avry spat out, her eyes on Finn who pulled the unconscious brunette into his lap. He looked at her with so much concern, mumbling a fit of 'no's when she wouldn't wake up. "What are you going to do about it?" Ren challenged Avry, moving forward to her friends and twirling his lightsaber around. She couldn't take it anymore as she broke out into a ran and came at him with her lightsaber.

The sith lord deflected her instantly, raising his saber and blocking her strike. The red beam of light clashed against the white one, making sparks fly out. "You couldn't kill me back on Takodana and you won't kill me now!" Kylo Ren shouted at him, trying to get inside her head.

The first time he had suggested that girl might kill him, Avry had moved away. But this time she wasn't. Avry pushed him back and Ren stumbled as she made him lose his footing. He grunted as he swung his saber back at her but Avry just stepped out of the way. "You tried to kill me!" Avry screamed at she lifted her saber about her head and sent it down on him. If she was trying to kill him, she would have to be more closer for that to really do damage.

When he blocked it, Kylo Ren met her eyes. He realized she wasn't trying to kill him but she was still fighting him off. "You know why I have to kill you, Avry." Ren said. His voice was so calm now that he wasn't yelling at her anymore. It almost made Avry want to back away but she knew she couldn't. "Killing me won't free you from the pain you're in." She replied back softly, tearing her lightsaber away.

She came at him with another attack, unfortunately one that Ren was familiar with. He blocked it when it came close to him and he met her eyes once more. "You're wrong. You've always been wrong and somewhere in that deluded head of yours you still believe you can save me. This are childish moves, Avry! Why aren't you finishing me?!" His voice was no longer calm as his temper was lost with her.

He was expecting her to kill him, not waste his time.

"Because you don't have to choose between petty sides!" Avry exclaimed as she pushed him back. Kylo Ren stumbled back but decided to catch his breath. She wasn't swinging anymore attacks on him. She wanted to _talk_ to him. "You don't get it, do you? I've always known that the dark side could take you one day but I was foolish like Luke to think that if we pushed the light side on you that you would never be corrupted. I'm sorry that everyone lied to you. I'm more sorry that I lied to you. But you don't have to be torn apart, Ben." The use of his real name struck a cord in him. Avry was appealing to his better nature and he wasn't liking it. She lifted her lightsaber, in a way that Kylo Ren lifted his in case she attacked him again but Avry didn't take a step forward. "Don't forget this. What we built together. You know what it means." She reminded him.

She was right. The white lightsaber wasn't associated with jedis of the light side or sith lords of the dark side. It was gray. It was neutral. It knew not to pick sides. That always meant that both of them always excelled in using it when they were young. "I don't want uncertainty. I know my power in the dark side, more than I have ever known in the light. I will not have you cloud my decisions anymore, Avry Fayar!" Kylo Ren screamed out as he charged at the girl.

Avry's eyes went wide, as for a moment she really did believe that she could convince him. She went to protect herself, raising up her saber. The motion put too much strain on her injury however just like her last attacks had done to her. Her block did little to stop him and his lightsaber grazed itself across her body.

The woman fell back onto the snow, her lightsaber switching off as she did so. Her hands went to her torso where a new gash presented itself. He had swiped across her previous injury as well which only put her in more pain. "Avry!" She heard Finn yell at her, but she became dizzy as her eyes looked up at the dark sky as snow fell around her. Snowflakes collected in her auburn hair and she shivered as she wrapped her arms around her bleeding body. Kylo Ren took a step over to her as she laid on the ground and he raised his lightsaber over her.

"Ben..." She whispered, her eyes falling on the tip of the red lightsaber as it stood only a foot away from her face. The man stared down at her, still conflicted inside on whether or not he should kill her. But she was bleeding out on the snow and she already looked up at him heartbroken inside.

Maybe it would've been less cruel if she had just died from her wounds after the massacre. He didn't want to imagine the years of pain she had endured because of him. And she would suffer again if she survived this. It would be merciful to kill her, or that's what he did to justify his actions as he raised his lightsaber.

Before he could drive it down into her head, he was cut off by the sound of a lightsaber opening. His eyes flew around to notice Finn standing up over Rey's unconscious body with a blue lightsaber. His blood ran cold as he recognized the lightsaber that used to belong to his grandfather and previously to his uncle. Kylo Ren pointed with his saber over to Finn.

"That lightsaber. It belongs to me." He growled out. Finn frowned angrily as he held up the saber, looking to the man knowing this wouldn't be a time where he would run away in fear of the First Order.

"Come get it." Finn challenged, before yelling out as he ran towards the other man. Kylo Ren was stronger than him however and swung his saber immediately back at Finn. It was a little discouraging to Finn but he couldn't let himself be beat by the man who had hurt two of his friends. He swung the blue lightsaber at him and getting blocked. Ren pushed off before swinging his saber at Finn again and again, the boy desperately trying to block the attacks as they came. He was knocked down onto the ground, and Ren turned around to take a breath.

Kylo Ren winced as he moved through the pain of the shot he took. He punched the wound multiple times, seeing if the pain could fuel his anger towards defeating Finn. As his back was turned, Finn took this moment to jump back onto his feet and attack Ren. He swung at the sith lord but Ren kept dodging Finn, twirling his saber just to show off to the boy at how much he was failing. Finn frowned as he looked at Kylo Ren, not rushing into anymore attacks and instead waiting for the man to swing at him.

When an attack did come, Finn blocked it and each and every one from there on it until he found himself backed up into a tree. The young man couldn't help that he was bad at this, knowing every single weapon he trained with usually was a blaster of some sorts. He wasn't use to fighting with light swords. Kylo Ren pushed his saber into the other, knowing that Finn must be panicking as he had him cornered. Finn's eyes went wide as he saw Ren tipping his weapon, so the design that Finn had often joked with many troopers was rather silly actually came to good use more or less as it burned into Finn's shoulder.

Finn's loud screamed awoke Rey, who shifted uncomfortably in the snow. "Finn!" Avry yelled out when she heard him crying out in pain, trying to sit up. A wave of pain just took over her as she did so, and the girl looked down to see her blood mixing into the white snow. Finn slipped down and moved away from Ren, grunting as he did so. Kylo Ren swung at a few trees in anger over the boy slipping away from him, leaving red burns marks in the trunks. In his fit of anger, Finn took the upper hand and swung lightsaber at Ren.

The attack took him by surprise, slashing him in the shoulder much like he had done earlier to Finn. When Finn came charging at him with his weapon, Ren's rage and pain over getting beaten by a newbie took over him as he blocked the blow and turned his lightsaber around until Finn's lightsaber flew away from his hands.

It switched off and fell into a blank of snow a few feet away. Finn's jaw dropped in surprise but Ren just punched the boy in the face, making Finn turn around due to the hard blow. Kylo Ren then swung his lightsaber up and slashed the boy's back.

The pain was so intense that it knocked out Finn. Avry pushed herself onto her knees and crawled over slowly to the boy. Kylo Ren's eyes just went over to the lightsaber he had disarmed from Finn, not even noticing that the redhead had moved from the spot he left her. He switched off his own before reaching out his arm in the direction where the saber landed. Ren's eyes were on it as he used the force directed it towards him.

It didn't come right away, making the man narrow his eyes as he tried harder to summon it. Finally the lightsaber rose but whizzed through the air so fast that Ren stepped out of the way when he realized it was not going to him.

Rey caught the lightsaber in her hand, looking at it in awe. Her eyes then went back up to Kylo Ren who switched back on his red saber. She frowned, her eyes briefly looking to the side to see Avry kneeling over Finn who was knocked out. They were both hurt by this sith lord and they might not make it if Rey didn't hurry up and beat him so they could get to the safety of the Falcon.

She charged at the man with the same fury and lack of skill that Finn carried, but just as he suspected there was something different about her. Since her skills were raw, Kylo Ren was quick to dodge such an attack. Rey didn't hesitate however and left no room in between her attacks, leaving the man to actually back up and block her moves.

He dodged out of the way, his eyes going wide as Rey slashed a tree in half. For someone with such raw skill she was quite strong. He decided to switch the tables on her, trying to strike at her but just cutting a tree down like she had done earlier when she had missed him. The two met each other's eyes before Ren went to attack her again, Rey managing to block his next blows.

* * *

"Weapon fully charged in thirty seconds." Hux didn't like being back in the control room but he knew what it would look like if he didn't come back. He still had orders to carry out. The man wouldn't be the one to defy his leader after years in his service. He didn't bother to look over at the officer who addressed,"Prepare to fire." Hux ordered. Despite the aerial attack going on outside, if they could still manage to fire the weapon they would. The general turned around to look onto the battle outside, and that's when it happened.

An explosion shook as everyone in the control room grabbed onto something to steady themselves from the small shake. Hux watched in horror as the fuel cells erupted. Every officer around him rushed into action immediately like they were trained to do, seeing if they could contain the damage and assure the survival of the planet. Even if they could manage to do that, Hux didn't want to stick around to find out if they could. It seemed too impossible to him and he had bigger things to worry abut.

He had _her_.

Without another word to any one of his officers, the general rushed out of the control room. He had managed to keep his cool before when he exited initial to break Whaoli out of her cell but this time it was different. This time he ran completely out of the control room not stopping until he saw the stormtrooper uniform. The man froze however when he realized he couldn't tell if it was Whaoli or not. The uniforms were the same between both genders and only differentiated based on rank or class. The uniform he had given Whaoli looked like the exact uniform of every other stormtrooper in this base.

The general stared awkwardly at the stormtrooper, which evidently made the stormtrooper uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, General Hux. Did you need something?" The trooper asked and Hux felt like a fool. It wasn't Whaoli. He shook his head a little before turning around and colliding with another stormtrooper. The high pitched ' _ow_ ' that left the trooper as she fell to the floor was all Hux needed to know. He helped the stormtrooper back onto her feet, a smile on his face. When the general realized how odd that might appear to the third party, he put a stern look on his face. "Watch where you're going." The man firmly warned.

"Yes, Ar–" Whaoli paused when she realized that she couldn't call him that around his troopers. Hux's eyes went wide momentarily as the girl struggled to address him proper. "Sir–" She cut off when she saw the worried look in his eyes indicating that was indeed not the correct term.

"General." Whaoli finally settled, making the distressed look in the man's eyes diminish. The other stormtrooper just stared blankly at the interaction. "Okay then." He commented before turning on his heel and marching off. The moment the stormtrooper was out of sight, Whaoli took the opportunity to take off the helmet.

She breathed for what felt like the first time since she put on the uniform. Hux's eyes were busy checking the corners for any uninvited guests to notice the girl had taken off her helmet. He whipped his head around however at the sound of her breathing unmuffled by the helmet. "What are you doing?" Hux asked, meeting her eyes.

Whaoli took a deep breath before shoving the helmet into his hands. "This helmet is so hard to breath in. My breath keeps fogging everything up! No wonder your troopers have terrible aim." Whaoli remarked as she gently waved out her braids. Her hair had gotten all messy from being in the helmet, but it was probably an improvement considering she had dried blood in her hair from being hit on the head hard by one of the stormtroopers handling her capture.

Hux looked confused by her comment,"My troopers don't have terrible aim." The general defended his armies but the girl just gave him a look. She then looked down at the helmet in his hands before taking it back into his hands. "See for yourself." She said and Hux let her guard the helmet over his head.

The minute it covered his face, he could see what she was talking about. "This is hot." Hux reluctantly admitted, and Whaoli couldn't help but smile at the fact he was admitting she was right. She didn't know the man all that well but she could tell he probably wasn't the type of person to do that.

The man lifted the helmet off his head before handing over to Whaoli. "That doesn't change a thing. This is your best shot out of here alive." He implied, and when he met her eyes the girl could see something was wrong.

"What's going on outside?" Whaoli inquired. The girl could tell something was wrong, because she wasn't oblivious. But she didn't know that the fight going on was between the two sides of the war. She didn't know the true gravity of the situation.

"All you need to know is that I'm going to make sure you're safe, Whaoli." Hux assured her, placing his hand on her cheek. The moment he touched her skin he could feel the heat radiate off of her and the dampness from her sweat. He frowned a little mockingly at her. "You're all sweaty." Hux commented, acting a little disgusted only to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as Whaoli chuckled and rolled her eyes. "All thanks to you." She told him before slipping the helmet back over her head, tucking her braids back in.

The moment she looked just like another stormtrooper he realized that despite lightening the mood, he couldn't ignore the situation they were in. "Follow me." He instructed and turned around and began walking. "I have some business to take care of. We're not done here yet." The general looked around his base, knowing that it would be gone any minute now.

* * *

 **A/N: First day of school! It's going to be hard to readjust after my few weeks of doing nothing at home but nap and update my fics. But I'm starting to settle in nice and hopefully while I'm settling, I'll update for you lovely readers along the way before the workload gets too much. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	13. Save Her

"Come on, Finn... come on... come on... come on..." She knew she could help him. Use the force to lessen her pain as well as his. The redhead held his head between her hands, looking down at the unconscious boy in the snow. Avry was still bleeding out pretty badly but she had became numb to the pain she was feeling. It was too cold outside for her to focus on how she felt.

Besides there were bigger things to worry about.

There was a sudden shift in the air, and Finn sucked in a breath. His eyes flew open, landing on Avry's face as she leaned over him. He was going to be alright. Avry let out a smile as Finn reached his arm up to grip onto her forearm. Looking at his state, she could tell he was too weak to move. The damage of a lightsaber wasn't the same as a blaster would cause. He had to be in a tremendous amount of pain in that moment.

Avry knew she was only surviving it because she had suffered worse. Her scars were proof that even when she was less strong and less trained, she could survive it. But there was no telling he could.

"A-avry... where's... where's Rey?" Finn managed to choke out. Avry frowned when she knew the girl and her love had disappeared battling among the trees and snow. She had lost sight of them now. "She's protecting us." Avry explained.

Finn nodded his head a little, his vision blurring Avry's face as he looked up at her. "Don't worry about me, o-okay? Go help Rey. Go save Rey. Save her." He instructed, knowing the girl wouldn't leave him here like this unless he told her to. "Please go." Finn begged him.

Even if she knew he was right, that he wouldn't die if she left to help Rey, Avry felt hesitant towards doing it. He was still weak, and she was certain Rey could handle herself. But it was the fact Rey could handle herself that gave her an itching feeling inside. Rey could kill Kylo Ren if she wanted to. And Avry knew that if she did, Rey would go to the dark side. Not to mention she knew she couldn't just let him die.

Because he might be Kylo Ren now, but Avry will never stop believing that he's always be Ben Solo deep down.

"Go..." Finn whispered, his eyes daring to close. Avry knew she couldn't keep him awake through the pain for much longer or she'd risk being too weak herself. "I'll be back for you. With Rey." She promised, getting back onto her feet. Finn slowly closed his eyes and slipped back into unconsciousness.

Avry looked around before her eyes settled on it. Her saber.

She lifted her hand, and the lightsaber flew up into her hand. Her fingers wrapped around it before the white glow was ignited. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling her way until she could tell which way Rey and Kylo Ren went. She opened her eyes before marching off to find them.

* * *

The escape ship was being loaded with anybody Hux deemed worthy of saving. His finest stormtroopers, a few loyal officers, and a banged up Phasma that some lucky trooper pulled out from the trash compactor. The whole base shook as the planet began to collapse on itself.

"General Hux, we have located the commander not far from here. Shall we head out now, sir?" An officer appeared on the deck, holding a tablet in her hands. Thank goodness the sith lord wasn't as stupid as Hux believed, and actually kept the tracking device Hux gave him. Hux nodded his head shortly before his eyes fell on a certain stormtrooper.

If he couldn't tell them apart before, now he had learned how to. Whaoli didn't carry herself like the other troopers did. She held the blaster close to her chest because she was scared, and not to mention she kept turning her head every time the whole base shook. He took a few steps closer to her. "We're leaving." He whispered to her gently, touching her shoulder.

Whaoli turned to look at him, the helmet still messing with her vision. "Where are we going?" She asked him. The girl was worried and he could tell but he couldn't waste time trying to convince her not to be afraid. "I told you I was going to keep you safe." Hux promised. Whaoli knew he was telling the truth, but she knew him keeping her safe meant something far worse.

"I'm not one of the bad guys, Armitage." Her voice shook him for some reason, one he didn't realize at first. But suddenly the general began to empathize with why she was so scared. She was wearing stormtrooper armor, and if he remembered correctly, it was his troopers who murdered her family. It was his troopers who had tortured her.

She had every right to be afraid.

"I'm not asking you to be. Please just let me get you out of here safe, and then we'll worry about ethics." His voice was weak when he asked her to come with him, but it seemed convincing enough for her. She nodded her head before following Hux onto the ship.

* * *

"REY!" It wasn't super surprising to find the girl standing over a fallen Kylo Ren, mostly because Rey's strength was so strong in that moment it could sensed through the air. It was raw and gravitating. The ground shook suddenly as it separated Rey from Kylo Ren. Once the earth settled, Rey turned off the lightsaber and looked back at Avry.

"Avry!" Rey called out as she ran to the girl, pulling her into a hug. Avry was surprised but hugged the girl back, trying not to get any of her blood on her. Rey pulled away as Avry switched off her own saber,"Is Finn alright?" Rey asked quickly. "He's alive, but you need to go to him. He's worried about you." Avry informed her and the brunette gave her a quick nod before taking off in the direction she came it.

Before she left however, Rey stopped and looked back at her. Avry was looking across the gap in the earth right at Kylo Ren. "What are you going to do?" She questioned her. Avry didn't take her eyes off of him.

"I'm going to talk to him... see if it changes anything." She shrugged her shoulders a little. Rey didn't know if she wanted to stop her or not. Kylo Ren was too weak to try and kill her again, and she had to see Finn, but she still felt like he couldn't be trusted. She didn't see hope in him where Avry did.

"Good luck." Rey said quietly, before resuming her run back to Finn. Avry nodded her head a little bit,"I'm going to need it." She said it more to herself than to Rey, who seemed to be long gone now anyways.

Avry looked over the fall she would suffer if she were to fail, but then the girl looked back up at Kylo Ren who still laid fallen in the snow. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing she had to trust in the force to get her through this. The girl took a couple of steps back before breaking out into a run.

She cried out as soon as her feet left the ground, but she kept pushing forward through the air. Avry thought she would be able to land on her feet when she reached the other side, but she only made it so far when she landed. Her arms struggled to hold onto the snow and her eyes went to look down at the drop she face.

This was a stupid idea.

Her fingers were frozen from the snow, making getting a grip nearly impossible. As she tried to crawl her body forward, her hands started to slip against the snow, and gravity was doing its job at pulling her down. Her breath caught in her throat as her grip was lost and she started to fall down below.

Suddenly it all stopped as her body was held in mid-air. A few feet up, she saw the wounded face of Kylo Ren. He was saving her after all this.

After trying to end her, he was saving her.

He lifted her up using his force, and then grabbed onto her arms once she reached him. Ren pulled her onto the ground and steadied Avry in his arms. "You shouldn't have back for me." He whispered as he looked at her.

"You shouldn't have tried to kill me if that wasn't what you wanted." She pointed out, meeting his eyes. He scowled at her before pulling away and getting back up on his feet. He was weak from his injuries but that didn't mean he wouldn't be angry with her. "You have no idea what I want." Ren fought back.

"If you wanted to kill me, then why save me right now?" She inquired. Avry wasn't wrong. He had just saved her even if he had tried to kill her earlier. That was exactly why he tried. Avry was the light he felt. She was his call to the light side. From his lack of reply, Avry felt at a lost to move forward in the conversation. She didn't know where she wanted to go from here.

Ren suddenly threw something to the ground and her eyes caught on the small object immediately. A small green kyber crystal, one that was so familiar to her because it used to belong to her. "My saber." Avry realized she dropped to her knees to collect the crystal. She scooped it up into the palm of her hand, inspecting the green object. "You kept it." She whispered.

The man nodded his head,"I did... because I wanted it to remind me that I was never going to be good. I killed somebody I loved and that was proof of it. But... you... you always still felt alive to me. I should've known." He felt pathetic admitting his feelings to her. Avry looked up at him with soft eyes and he felt even more worse.

She looked at him like he was good, like he was still good. He couldn't take it. He didn't feel worth it.

"I'm sorry." Avry told him. He narrowed his eyes at her,"You're apologizing to me?" Ren raised a brow at her, trying to understand what she was getting at. Avry stood up slowly, her arm wrapping around her abdomen which still ached from the damage he caused. "It's my fault after all. This." She gestured to him with her free arm, which had the kyber crystal enclosed within her hand. "The worst thing I ever did was make you feel the same way everybody else made you feel." Avry said.

"You don't have to choose. Not with me. You've always been angry because you felt a calling to both sides, and I'm no longer going to make you feel like you have to choose between them. You're not all good. But you're not all bad. I know who you are, Ben. You're a good man, even if you get scared or angry, or hurt." He let her get close enough to touch his face, which still hurt from what Rey did to him. Kylo Ren's eyes got soft when he met hers. "Why are you still trying to save me?" He asked her quietly.

Avry smiled small as she studied his face,"I'm not some little girl anymore. I can't keep running from a fight which I know I can win if I try hard enough." She said simply. He couldn't help but smile small at that too. "You're a fool." Kylo Ren pointed out but being this close to her, he knew he couldn't resist the effect she had on him. The man leaned in to kiss her just as a gush of wind blew her hair into his face.

Up ahead, the escape ship landed in the woods. The doors lowered and produced General Hux. Kylo Ren stared at the general as he emerged from the ship with a stormtrooper by his side. The stormtrooper didn't seem eager to part from the general, ignoring his order to go back inside the ship. Avry's face dropped when she sensed a familiar presence in the force.

"Whaoli?"

The stormtrooper at the general's side dropped their blaster at Avry's words. Whaoli was quick to rip off the helmet from her head. Her eyes landed on Avry, her vision uninterrupted by the helmet. She broke out into a smile at the sight of an old friend.

Hux's blood ran cold at the sight. As Whaoli took a small step, he lifted his arm to stop the girl. "What are you doing?" He questioned. Whaoli furrowed her brows at him,"She's my friend." She tried to reason with him. Hux simply grabbed her by both shoulders and turned her around to look at him. "And she's going to die along with this planet. You'll die with her if you go with her now." Hux pointed out.

Whaoli frowned up at the man before looking to Avry who looked at her with wide eyes. Two sides she didn't even know she would ever have to choose between. Whaoli had always been a simple farm girl, unconcerned with the fight going on between the galaxy. Her eyes then shifted back to Hux.

"I have feelings for you... but I can't go with you." She realized.

"What– what are you talking about? You want to live, Whaoli. I'm your best chance at getting out of here alive and– and– and I care about you, goddamnit! Does that mean nothing to you?!" He yelled, getting angry that she was throwing her life away for some failed jedi. Whaoli could tell he was angry, but she saw through his anger by meeting his eyes. His eyes were filled with tears because he knew this was the moment he would lose her.

She reached up and closed the distance between them. Whaoli kissed him, giving him something to remember. "You might be wishing that I'd come with you... but know that I wish you'd come with me." A tear slipped down her cheek as she pulled away from him. "Whaoli, please, think about this..." Hux tried to argue but she was already walking away.

Her stormtrooper helmet fell in the snow as she let go of it, as she made her way over to Avry, Whaoli looked up as Kylo Ren walked passed her. The two locked eyes before marching off to their respective sides. Ren looked to Hux when he reached him,"If you love the girl, let her go... besides, we have a long way home, don't we? Plenty of time for you to tell me how that happened." Ren told the general, looking back at Whaoli.

Avry pulled Whaoli into a hug as soon as she got to her. "What happened to you?" Avry whispered into the girl's dark hair as she embraced her. Whaoli cried as she pulled away from the embrace,"They took everything from me... my family is gone... Avry." She cried, and Avry realized that the girl now knew everything. She frowned as she reached up to wipe her tears.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. It's my fault." Avry said, but Whaoli shook her head a little before pulling her back into a hug. The two looked up as the ship began to take off, away with the two loves they held in their hearts as well.

The planet shook with collapse and Whaoli sent a worried look to Avry. "How are we going to make it out alive?" She asked. Avry didn't look at her, instead looked up to the sky where the sight of the Millennium Falcon approached the two. "Don't worry, we have a ride." Avry smiled as she turned to smile at Whaoli.

* * *

"That was a stupid thing to do."

"I know."

"You could have died."

"I know."

"You shouldn't have made me worry like that."

"I know."

"I can't lose you again, Avry."

"I know."

"You... you– I... I'm glad you're safe."

"I know."

Avry smiled up at Han as he rolled his eyes at her. "You know." The old smuggler mocked as he leaned back down to finish wrapping the bandage around her torso. Chewie and Rey were managing piloting the Falcon as they returned to the Resistance base, and Han was currently trying to play doctor to Avry. Her frightened friend sat in the color, stripped of her stormtrooper armor and dressed in the black clothes similar to Finn's that she wore underneath.

Finn laid, still unconscious, which was concerning to Han but Avry was insisting that the boy was alive and would be fine. He had to trust her judgment, especially considering she could use something he never could. Chewie growled from the cockpit, signaling to Han that they had arrived at the base.

"Come on, let's get up now." Han took her arm, wrapping it over his shoulders. He signaled to Avry's friend who finally got up. Whaoli grabbed Avry's other arm and put it over her own shoulders and helped her up. The Falcon landed and Chewie and Rey appeared. The wookiee lifted the unconscious boy up into his arms and Han nodded his head towards the doors of the Falcon.

They all made their way outside, Finn receiving top priority as they rushed him towards a medic. The medical officer leaned down before looking up at them. "We've got a heartbeat." She assured them, which sent relief through all of them. Han and Whaoli helped Avry up, who another medical officer started to attend to. "Geez, what did you do to yourself, Avry?" Poe questioned, who had joined the group.

She smirked at him lightly, even though the pain was still hitting her pretty hard at this point. "Fought the good fight." She explained. The vehicle started to take off to collect any other wounded or worse, and Chewie and Poe and Whaoli followed it. Han stayed back, looking to Rey. "You okay?" He asked her.

Rey nodded her head a little,"I think so... everything is... different now." She shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her hands. "I feel changed." Rey admitted. Han smiled as he put his hand on her shoulder. "That's because you did change, but don't worry. It's a part of growing. It's a good thing." He assured her. Rey smiled up at him, before her eyes caught the sight of a certain rebel general.

Knowing better than to interrupt things between the two old flames, Rey decided to step out and go check on Finn's condition.

Leia looked up at Han as he turned to look at her after Rey walked away. The smuggler seemed at a lost for words so she decided to make the first move. "I should be angry with you now." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. Han scoffed,"I come back alive and that's what you say to me? I could have died. But I really shouldn't be surprised with this... you never know how to be grateful for me." Han pointed out.

"Grateful? You nearly killed Finn. You nearly killed Avry. You didn't even bring back our son. And should I even mention all those years you left me alone?" Leia listed as he took a few steps towards her. While things did change, there were some things that really never could. No matter how many times she got angry with him, he knew. He knew she would always love him no matter what.

"You're right." Han said, which surprised her. "I'm a scoundrel... but I still love you." He finished. Leia rolled her eyes, uncrossing her arms. "I know." She said, almost tired of reminding him that but it seemed refreshing after all the years they spent apart. Han leaned forward and surprised her once more by kissing her. "I'm not leaving again." He said as he pulled away. "Not again." Han promised her.

She was skeptical but she nodded her head. "You better not break that promise." She said, hoping to hold that to him in the future that seemed ahead of them.

* * *

 **A/N: Only one more chapter to go!**


	14. Changing is Growing

Looking in the mirror didn't feel the same now. She was different and she knew that. Her old life seemed to be a century away, when it reality it was more likely just a week away. It seemed silly to think so much could happen to her that would change, but it did.

Whaoli looked in the mirror and felt like she needed a way to represent that change. Something she could do. Her bruises and cuts had healed, so her face showed no more sign of Starkiller Base, but she could still remember the way his lips felt against hers. She reached up and carefully unbraided her hair, braids that were done by her mother almost a week ago. Now they were gone.

Her dark hair laid in waves by her shoulders and she looked around the sink before her eyes caught onto a pair of scissors. If she now wanted to represent the change she had gone through, she knew how to do it now.

It wasn't easy for her. At first her hands were shaky when she parted her hair into two pieces by her sides. But when she lifted the scissors next to her hair, and slowly opened the two blades, her hands suddenly became steady. There was no point of return and she had to realize that sooner or later. She was no longer the person she used to be.

She was different.

The scissors closed between the hair strands, cutting them off. She looked at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath, gaining the confidence to continue the haircut. Whaoli watched as her long dark hair fell from her hands into the sink below. Once she was finished cutting her hair just below her chin, she shook out her hair and set the scissors down. It was certainly a change.

Whaoli always wore braids that were done by her mother. Occasionally she'd break away from that tradition and let Avry braid her hair. She always had long hair. There was never a time she remembered herself without it. The cut made her appear more grownup however, and Whaoli felt it suited her. She was no longer the naive farm girl. She had lost everything. She had been tortured. She had fallen for someone.

She turned away from the mirror to look to the clothes that waited folded up on her bed. She knew if she put them on she would be accepting the new her. Whaoli would grow up and there was no way to recover the child she was before this. Finally, the conflict in her settle, when suddenly she thought... good.

 _Good_.

Once she was done lacing up the boots, Whaoli knew she was ready to meet with him. The girl rolled her shoulders back and stuck her head up high. She looked down at the locket around her neck, the only thing that she had left of her home. Before she left the room the girl took the time to open it.

A small hologram appeared the minute she opened the locket, and Whaoli watched as the hologram feed played back for her. It was her at the age of twelve years old. She was surrounded by her mother and father, who chuckled as they hugged her tightly in both of their arms. The girl took a deep breath before closing the locket. That was years ago, and looking at it wouldn't change the fact they were gone now.

But maybe this might.

There were always sides in this galaxy. Few were lucky to stay out of it, but it was clear that you either fought by the rebels or you were a helpless victim to the First Order. The light side and the dark side. She had to choose the right side to fight on, which was on the side of the good.

Whaoli exited the living quarters, still timid about knowing her way around the rebel base. She was soon met however with the person she agreed to meet and her eyes lit up once she recognized his face.

"Poe." The girl stopped the pilot, who seemed eager to meet with her. "New look?" He asked friendly, his eyes falling onto her new haircut. Whaoli nodded her head to him, lifting her hands up to brush against the freshly cut strands. "Do you think it's too much?" She questioned. Poe shook his head a little, actually admiring the change in the girl. "No... no, it suits you. Besides, I'm sure the new hair will be easier to fit into a pilot's helmet." He commented.

She was stunned to hear him openly talk about training her into being a pilot. Whaoli knew that he only agreed to this because he felt he owed something to Avry for saving him, and she was her friend after all. "P-pilot?" Whaoli couldn't help but stutter at the idea of her at the controls of an X-wing.

He smiled, finding it a little funny that she was nervous about the idea. He was too, even if it was in his blood, but that's only because Poe started flying at a pretty young age. Younger than Whaoli was anyway.

"You know if you're having second thoughts, you can still go home to Dantooine. It's not too late to leave this behind... try to pick up a normal life again." Poe offered her, knowing the thought could be tempting at her age. She had no reason to fight, not like him. She didn't watch her parents fight for this cause like he did. If she wanted to join the rebellion, it had to be of her own choice. "I don't want my normal life back... I want to fight." She said, her voice gaining its ground.

Poe nodded his head before nodding his head off in the direction of the air base. "Then we start your training." The pilot instructed, leading the girl through the base. Whaoli smiled small and followed behind him, only stopping when the two of them passed by the infirmary.

When the pilot realized the girl had stopped following him, Poe turned back to see Whaoli watching the medical officers as they went around. He knew that Avry was in there getting ready, and no doubt Finn who didn't seem to be waking up. The medics said he was stable, but Poe was still worried for him.

"If you want to see her before she leaves, she has the time. I know she'll want to see you." Poe suggested, not wanting to make the girl feel like she didn't have the option of seeing her best friend. Whaoli looked over at him before back at the inside of the infirmary. "We spent so many years together... I don't like the idea of parting with her again. Especially since I don't know when she's coming back." Whaoli admitted.

"She's going to see Luke. She'll be back with him in no time." Poe assured her.

* * *

The medic finished reapplying the bandage to her abdomen. The man ran his palm over the wound, making Avry wince a little. "In my opinion, you really should be resting. But the fate of the galaxy, right?" The young medical officer joked, getting interrupted by a cough that came from an older gentlemen who was waiting for him to be done. The medic frowned and shut himself up, and lowered Avry's shirt. "You're good to go." He told her.

Avry hopped off the examination table, watching as the medic left her and Han alone. The smuggler took a few steps towards her, handing her the black cloak and her lightsaber. Han looked down at the saber before looking back up at the girl. "It's different." The man remarked, looking down at the metallic object in his hand. Avry nodded her head before taking her cloak and saber from him. "I made modifications." The girl admitted.

Han raised a brow at her, staying silent for her so she could show him. Avry didn't seem eager to, but it would be good to test it out another time before she left. Avry set down her cloak before putting some distance between her and Han. She then switched on her lightsaber and light ignited at both ends. On the top, it was a pure beam of white energy. On the bottom, it was a pure beam of green energy. Han soon pieced together the modifications Avry had made.

"Your two sabers... you put them together." Han realized as he looked at the lightsaber in awe. Avry nodded her head before switching the device off. "I can alternate between them too... I... I thought it would just make sense. After all this time. To take the old and make it new." She shrugged her shoulders. Han couldn't help but look down to the place she had just gotten wrapped up. "Like your scars. Can you even see the old ones?" He asked carefully.

She shook her head. "No... no, they've been mostly replaced with new ones. But I still remember they way it felt... both times. Only this time I didn't die." She joked lightly, which didn't please the old man. "Don't joke about that... I was really worried for you." He admitted.

"You still are." Avry said, knowing it wasn't showing she could hide from him. Han smiled before nodding his head,"What can I say?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm worried you might want to kill Luke when you finally see him." He was joking, of course, but there was a small part of him that still worried that Avry wasn't ready to see the man. Her face dropped, knowing the joke had meaning behind it.

Avry wasn't ready to see Luke again, but she agreed to this because of Rey. Because of what was asked of her.

Whaoli approached Avry and Han, timidly holding her hands behind her back. She might look more grownup now than she did before, but parts of the girls had still stayed. Avry smiled at the sight of her new hair, immediately leaning over to shift her fingers between the short dark locks. "It's nice." She complimented, earning a smile from Whaoli.

Han looked between the two girls, realizing that it was time for them to talk. By themselves. Avry had many friends when she was a kid, especially Ben. But after the massacre, the girl had to face a world without any. She made a friend in Chewie and Han and even Maz, but other than that she hadn't had a lot of chances. It made Han feel better somehow to know she made a friend when she was on Dantooine. It finally felt like he had made the right decision to let her go there in the first place.

"I'll leave you to it."

Avry watched as the man left the two, and her gaze returned to the girl who looked at her shyly. She could tell that Whaoli was at a loss for words. The whole time they knew each other Avry had lied about who she was. Whaoli was probably wondering if all of that had been a lie.

Whaoli hoped it wasn't.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you-" "I'm not mad you didn't tell me, Avry." Whaoli suddenly said, cutting the redhead off before she jumped to conclusions. Avry looked confused, almost expecting her to be angry. She watched as the girl took a few hesitant steps towards her until she was standing besides her. "I understand why you did... you wanted away from the First Order. They're not good people... I get it." Whaoli looked down.

Her friend picked up on the sadness behind her eyes, recalling their reunion on the planet. "When we fall in love... sometimes we love them regardless of things they've done or who they are. Loving someone is about loving the good and bad parts of someone." Avry pointed out, reminding the young girl about a certain general she had left behind. Whaoli appreciated the advice, mostly because it reminded her of times when Avry was always there giving her advice on growing up. On changing and becoming different.

"I never said I was in love." Whaoli found herself saying, mostly because she was in denial over something that happened so fast. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't help thinking of the man who changed her life. "You didn't have to say it." Avry smiled brightly, which earned a bright smile from the younger girl as well.

Without a second thought, feeling it was right, Whaoli pulled Avry into a hug. "Don't stay away too long." Whaoli begged and Avry hugged the girl back, her pale hand smoothing down Whaoli's dark hair. "I promise." Avry whispered gently, knowing she'd do whatever to keep that promise.

* * *

Leia and Han stood by each other's side, facing the two girls that were about to leave them. "You two better not get a scratch on my ship." Han warned them, mostly Rey because even if he had seen what the young girl was capable of, she hadn't spent the years with the Falcon like Avry had. "She'll be fine." Avry assured, defending her friend. Rey smiled over at her thankfully.

"I'm proud of what you two are about to do." Leia said, steering the conversation in a more serious direction. They were going to find her brother. A man who not only abandoned her, but abandoned Avry. She had more guts to face him than Leia did. Rey looked over Leia softly,"But you're also afraid. In sending us away... you're reminded." Rey realized. Avry hadn't even thought of that, but it was now clear on the woman's face.

Avry always tried not to think of that because she never had any family to send her away. Leia straightened up, looking at Rey. "You won't share the fate of our son." She said. Avry nodded her head in agreement,"Not with me around. I promise." The redhead added, turning to look at Rey reassuringly. "This is the right thing to do... you and me..." Avry began. Rey cut her off with a gentle smile,"What? Are going to save the galaxy?"

"Who's to say we wouldn't?"

They two girls shared a smile before saying their farewells to Han and Leia. BB-8 bumped both the legs of Rey and Avry, beeping for them to return soon. Chewie gave Avry a crushing hug before they made their way to the Falcon where R2-D2 was already waiting inside.

Before they could make it, Leia called over. Rey and Avry turned around to face the woman, as she smiled. "May the force be with you." Leia told them both, BB-8 chirping in a 'good luck' right after. Rey nodded her head and then made her way to the Falcon. Avry stood for a second before she made a quick decision on what she wanted to do.

She ran back, pulling Leia and Han both into a tight hug. The older adults chuckled at her tight grip. Avry pulled away and looked over both of them. "Thank you." Avry said genuinely, and then the girl ran back to meet Rey, where they entered the Falcon to leave the planet.

Rey and Avry entered the cockpit, with Rey sitting down in the pilot's chair and Avry sitting down in the co-pilot's chair. The Falcon always flew better with two pilots and that was a fact. There were cheers from the rebels down below at the two girls took off, knowing that this ship carried the last hope for the galaxy.

* * *

It wasn't an extremely long flight to Ahch-To. Neither Rey or Avry talked during this time. Both of them were extremely nervous, knowing what fate laid ahead. They were going to see Luke. Who had ran away in heading. There was no telling if he even wanted to be found by them.

Avry feared mostly that he didn't want to see her again.

When they got to the planet, as the Falcon descended from the clouds, Rey and Avry took in the view. It was mostly ocean, with a few towering islands of black rock and greenery. Rey and Avry didn't even need to look to know which one was the right one. They sensed his presence as soon as they broke through the atmosphere.

The Falcon landed on the base of the island, in a place that was flat enough for the ship to be safe. The entire crew came out, taking in the air and the sunlight. R2 beeped unhappily at the sight of so many stairs, knowing that he would never make it up those. Avry looked down at the disappointed droid before looking to Rey.

She gestured for the younger girl to take the lead and Rey took a hesitant step forwards. She removed her staff from her back and began the climb upwards. With her injury, Avry was finding the climb a little difficult, and kept taking pauses. Rey always stopped with her, never moving too far ahead from the girl.

Avry felt like the walk took more time than the actual flight there. But by the time they reached the top, Rey and Avry only panted a little. Both of them stopped right at the sight of a hooded figure up ahead.

Luke turned around, lifting the hood from his head. None of them spoke, but the old jedi master eyed both of the girls carefully. Especially Avry. After all these years, she had finally found him. Rey remembered what she came with, and reached into her bag to reveal the lightsaber.

Anakin's lightsaber.

She held it out to the man, knowing this was an offer, maybe even a plea. The galaxy's last hope. Avry stood by Rey's side, and the to wondered what would happen next.

* * *

 **A/N: That's it! Thank you so much for reading! All of you! I started this fanfic back in February and it was the first fanfic I published. I'm so proud that I've seen it to the end. A sequel is in the works, which is more likely a prequel. The actual chronological sequel will appear after Episode 8. Until that comes out though I will be posting a prequel to this story hopefully very soon. Thank you so much for reading this story and I hope all of you follow the prequel as well when it comes out.**

 **Thank you so much! :)**


	15. AN: The Prequel

**A/N: The prequel to Old Scars is out! If you want to continue reading my lovely writing this is a perfect way to spend your time before the sequel to the Force Awakens is out and I start the sequel to Old Scars.**

 **My prequel fic, Before the Scars, will follow the story of Caddesca Racca, who was the jedi knight Avry was a padawan to prior to the jedi massacre committed by Kylo Ren. The story starts out at the beginning of the third film of the original trilogy and will go all the way to a young Avry and Ben falling in love with each other and the inevitable rise of Kylo Ren and the First Order. I'm working super hard on it so I hope that all of you amazing readers will like it and stick around as I move forward with the prequel and then the sequel when the time comes.**

 **Thank you so much for all of you who have read and liked my story. You all mean so much to me and I am really grateful for all your encouraging comments.**

 **If you want to read the prequel, you can find the link on my profile. Have a wonderful day!**


	16. The Last Jedi Teaser

**A/N: While I'm finishing school and currently working on that until I free up my time during the summer break, I thought I would leave you guys something to tide you over. I will be more active soon enough considering the end of the school year is fast approaching. I just finished my current show and have some time before my next ones.**

 **The Last Jedi teaser trailer recently came out, so I thought I would work in the lovely Avry and Whaoli into the trailer. Once the movie is out, the sequel to Old Scars will be fast approaching! I hope you guys like this! I wrote it as soon as I saw the trailer because I was so inspired.**

* * *

 _Breath._

 _Just… breath._

 _Now._

 _Reach out._

 _What do you see?_

* * *

"Light." Rey responded. "Darkness."

"A balance."

Avry pursed her lips as she stared intently at Rey.

* * *

Han stood with Leia as they looked at the star map. He turned his head over to look at her.

"What if she doesn't come back alive this time?" Han questioned her.

* * *

Poe and BB-8 speeded down the hall, moving as fast as they could.

"Whaoli!" The pilot shouted as he watched the girl open the hatch to the space craft. But it was too late. The explosion hit before he could get to her.

* * *

Kylo Ren held up his lightsaber, the red glow illuminating his face.

Avry stood some distance away from him, the white and green glow from her double-edged lightsaber lining her figure.

* * *

"I know only one truth… it's time for the jedi to end." Luke said with a heavy heart.

Avry looked down at her lightsaber in her hand.


End file.
